Garbage recycling a necessity

Last Saturday, there was a public protest in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, over a planned waste incinerator. Because of the health and environmental concerns associated with them, this is not the first protest against plans for a waste incinerator in recent years.

While it is important that local governments promote greater transparency in the decision-making process to regain public trust, a Beijing News editorial asks, why not also promote garbage recycling so that we don't need to build so many garbage incinerators?

There is a saying that garbage is just a resource in the wrong place. That would seem to be the case in many developed countries. In Denmark and Sweden, for example, 80 to 90 percent of all garbage is recycled for use. In Germany, there have even been reports that garbage incinerators are worried about their lack of business because of the amount of garbage that is being recycled.