City of Wuhan, China, Tables WTE Plant Project

After days of protests, the city of Wuhan in central China has put a waste-to-energy (WTE) plant project on hold. According to a Channel News Asia report, the city also promised not to proceed with project development plans without approval from residents.

Trash has become one of China’s biggest environmental challenges, as most major cities are surrounded by landfills. The report notes that in 2017, Beijing aimed to invest roughly $29 billion to double its incineration capacity by 2020. However, China has missed those targets, mainly because of public opposition to new WTE plants.

Channel News Asia has more details:

The city of Wuhan in central China has put a controversial rubbish-burning power plant on hold and promised not to proceed without the approval of residents, the Global Times newspaper said on Tuesday (Jul 9), following days of protests.

An official with the Xinzhou government in Wuhan told the paper that the project had created "misunderstandings" among the public.

The city could not continue to rely on landfills to handle its waste problems, the official added, but it would consult with local people before making a final decision.

Read the full article here.