Government mulls ways to promote waste-sorting agenda

Authorities looking at ways of tackling problem at source. Hou Liqiang reports.

In 2013, 161.5 million metric tons of domestic waste were generated in 261 large and medium-sized cities across China. In 2017, though only 202 of those cities were assessed, the number had jumped by 25 percent to 201.9 million tons, according to the latest report on solid waste control from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

Given the dramatic rise, it is hardly surprising the issue has attracted the attention of the central leadership. In an instruction published earlier this month, President Xi Jinping called for the ramping up of efforts to encourage people to understand the importance and necessity of waste sorting.