From traditional frugality to recycling powerhouse: China's green transformation

TIANJIN -- At an incineration power plant in North China's Tianjin municipality, garbage trucks unload waste that is left to ferment for five to seven days before being incinerated to generate electricity, efficiently contributing to sustainable energy production.

In operation for two decades, this waste incineration power plant exemplifies how the Chinese people have always valued and efficiently utilized resources. This tradition, rooted in ancient times, reflects the enduring practice of the circular economy in Chinese civilization.

"The facility can incinerate over 800 tonnes of waste daily and generated approximately 120 million kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2024, which was fed into the grid; enough to power around 100,000 households for a year," said Liu Xuejing, deputy general manager of the plant.

The history of resource recycling in China dates back to the Bronze Age. "Metal recycling was widespread in the country's metallurgical industry, with materials like scrap copper being reused repeatedly. Resource recycling played a crucial role in supporting economic activities and driving social progress," explained Wang Junfeng, director of the circular economy and low carbon development research center at Nankai University.

Today, from the development of the front-end industrial chain of resource recycling to the efficient transformation of recyclables, China has gradually forged a new path of circular development that combines economic value with ecological benefits. Innovative practices are underway across the country, enabling waste resources to be revitalized and regain their value.