The municipal government will tighten control over water consumption in public buildings such as hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, carwashes and bathhouses by setting strict water quotas.

Meanwhile, the Beijing Solid Waste Disposal Plan (2006-10) calls for the creation of a standard renewable resources recycling system to cover the whole city by 2010.

Under the plan, the city's waste paper recovery rate is expected to reach 80 per cent.

The recovery rate of waste plastic should climb to 60 per cent, and 70 per cent of waste tyres will be recovered.

Eighty per cent of discarded home appliances are to be recovered, as will 95 per cent of waste automobiles.

Based on the standard of one recovery station per every 1,000 to 1,500 households, 2,000 recovery stations, most of them mobile, will be set up in the city by 2010, increasing the availability of recycling of recycling services at the community level.

By 2010, four large garbage disposal plants will be built in each quadrant of the city. The plants will be equipped to burn, compost and bury garbage.

At present, 90 per cent of the city's garbage is buried, taking up 327 hectares land. Only 2 per cent of the garbage is burned and 8 per cent is composted.

By 2010, 40 per cent of all garbage will be burnt, 30 per cent will be treated and the rest will be buried.

According to the plan, the city will set up a system to adequately dispose of home appliances, with a capacity to dispose of 2.1 million appliances (about 70,000 tons) annually.

(China Daily 12/13/2006 page3)

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