“Not Enough Waste to Burn”: A Dangerous Fallacy

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Since early June, a video titled “From Waste Siege to Not Enough Waste to Burn: China’s Speed Leaves the West Baffled” has been spreading rapidly across the internet. The idea of simply tossing unsightly rubbish into a furnace to be burned away, while using the resulting energy for electricity, has left many thrilled by what they perceive as a “perfect” technical solution.

Upon hearing that incineration plants in Zhejiang and Shanghai are “competing for rubbish” from other provinces and cities, some have remarked: “This news finally allows me to use over-packaged products without guilt; I used to feel so bad about it.” This has even led to the perverse notion that “it’s time to encourage people to throw away more rubbish” or “forget waste sorting, just burn it all.”

Given that the misleading influence of the video continues to intensify and spread, in this episode of the podcast, we have invited two experts in waste management and environmental public welfare to discuss what “not enough waste to burn” actually means:

  • Is there really not enough rubbish to burn now? Why can’t this question be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”?
  • The video quotes Academician Du Xiangwan’s statement that “waste is a gold mine in the wrong place”. What is the true meaning of this phrase? What should be the primary principle of waste management? Why is incineration considered the absolute last resort in waste processing?
  • Can existing incineration technologies truly prevent the production of dioxins, as well as other toxic emissions and atmospheric pollutants, during the actual processing?
  • Can waste incineration replace waste sorting? Why is efficient incineration actually dependent on waste sorting?
  • Reducing waste at the source is an act of care for both the planet and ourselves. Much of our single-use plastic waste comes from food packaging; do you truly understand the dangers that microplastics and plastic additives pose to the human body?
  • What is the relationship between the mass production of waste and our consumer culture? Who should be responsible for reducing waste production—consumers or corporations? Why might waste incineration actually hinder waste reduction and recycling in society?

Guest Speakers

Mao Da

PhD in Environmental History, Chairperson of the Shenzhen Zero Waste Environmental Public Welfare Development Centre, and founder of the “Non-Toxic Pioneers” campaign. For twenty years, he has been involved in solid waste and environmental health projects across various environmental organisations. His current focus is on the sound management of chemicals, the greening of e-commerce, plastic pollution control, and the practical promotion of zero-waste philosophies.

 

 

 

Sun Jinghua

Known by the nature name “Lianpeng”, Director of the Waste Reduction Project at Friends of Nature, and Editor-in-Chief of the science communication book *The Magic Book of Waste*. For many years, she has been deeply engaged in public education and science outreach in the fields of waste reduction, sorting, and zero-waste campuses.

 

 

 

Yu Yang

Editor at Foodthink, currently reflecting on the toxic relationship between plastics and humans.

 

 

 

 

Host

Tian Le

Convener of the Beijing Organic Farmers’ Market and founding editor of Foodthink.

 

 

 

 

Timeline

01:00 After years of advocating for waste reduction and sorting, how did it feel to see this “not enough waste to burn” short video?

07:01 Incineration provides a sense of “instant gratification”, reflecting an impatient attitude towards waste.

08:51 Why is incineration the final option in waste management?

14:21 Under real-time monitoring, can incinerators completely prevent the production of dioxins?

18:09 Why has China built so many waste incineration plants?

20:33 Can glass bottles, which incinerators cannot burn, still be recycled by manufacturers as they were in the past?

33:33 “Phthalate plasticisers” in plastic packaging act as a type of synthetic oestrogen.

37:44 When ordering takeout, why do vendors insist on sending disposable cutlery even when “no disposable cutlery needed” is clearly selected?

49:55 While overcapacity in incineration reduces the economic cost of waste disposal, the hidden social costs are borne by every one of us.

55:40 What creative ideas could help businesses reduce or recycle single-use plastic packaging?

59:45 How can we connect waste reduction and recycling to our own daily lives?

Waste has become a critical issue that China must confront as part of its modernisation and urbanisation process. The shock and dread sparked by the concept of ‘waste besieging the city’ have driven the search for rapid, high-efficiency solutions to the waste problem. Image source: Still from *Waste Besieging the City*
Vast quantities of indiscriminately discarded waste scatter across mountains and rivers; some may travel up the food chain to return to our dining tables, eventually entering the human body. Image source: Mao Da
Priority of waste treatment methods. Image source: Mao Da
The distribution of waste-to-energy plants in parts of China. Relevant data shows that by 2023, China had built over 1,000 waste-to-energy plants, with 2,172 incinerators and a daily capacity of approximately 1.11 million tonnes. This increase in capacity means China’s waste incineration volume far exceeds that of the US, Japan, and Europe combined. Image source: Public Platform for Automatic Monitoring Data of Municipal Waste Incineration Power Plants
Pollutants potentially produced by waste incineration. Image source: Tianxia Wufen (World Without Incineration)
Takeaway waste, a common sight in daily life. Image source: Foodthink
Various fruits and vegetables over-packaged in plastic, frequently seen in fresh food supermarkets. Image source: Foodthink
A supermarket collecting shopping bags donated by customers for others to use for free. Image source: Wu Xiaowai
To encourage the reduction of single-use plastic packaging, the Beijing Organic Farmers’ Market has established a ‘bulk zone’ where customers are required to bring their own containers. Image source: Beijing Organic Farmers’ Market
The ‘Postman’s Slow Delivery’ initiative seeks to create a circular platform that allows second-hand bags to be reused and shared. Image source: Free U Nature

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Podcast Music: Ba Nong

Production: Xiao Putao

Concept: Tianle

Editing: Yuyang

Contact Email: xiaojing@foodthink.cn

Published by Foodthink