Recycling the answer to China's junk dilemma

"We should set up a low-cost garbage classification system, which clarifies the responsibilities of the government, the public and companies," Huang said.

A China Youth Daily report on Friday cited a government survey showing more than one-third of the country's cities are besieged by garbage, with dumped rubbish taking up 50,000 hectares of land.

Insufficient recycling has been blamed as a major reason behind the mounting garbage surrounding cities in a rapidly urbanizing China, according to the report.

The World Bank said in a report last year global cities face surging costs for garbage treatment as it predicted a sharp rise in the amount of rubbish generated by urban residents.

The report estimated the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) will rise from the current 1.3 billion tons per year to 2.2 billion tons annually in 2025, with much of the increase coming in fast growing cities in developing countries.

The report revealed that the amount of MSW is growing fastest in China, other parts of East Asia, parts of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Growth rates for MSW in these areas are similar to their rates for urbanization and increases in gross domestic product (GDP).

Wang Yi, an expert with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said at the forum that China will experience the hardest transitional period for environmental protection in the next ten years with accelerating urbanization and the country's continuing industrial development.

The interests of all parties -- companies, NGOs, individuals -- should be taken into consideration to recycle resources, and transitional strategies should be worked out, Wang said.

The Chinese government is intensifying its efforts on city garbage treatment as capacity falls short of demand amid fast urbanization, realizing the surging amount of garbage produced in cities affects the urban environment and social stability.

"If I had known earlier, I would not have grown any rice," said Li, who said he plans to find a new line of work in the city next year.