The stories that provided the highlights of 2015

Zheng Jinran: Sewers, smells and safety programs

Best story: An investigation into the disposal of sewage sludge that revealed many problems, including large quantities of illegally dumped untreated sewage sludge that can contaminate soil and underground water sources.

Most interesting person: Wang Wenxing, an 88-year-old academician, who led China's earliest teams of air-pollution researchers, and has worked and taught at universities to nurture more talent in the field of environment protection.

Most memorable reporting experience: In September, our team conducted interviews at sewage plants in several cities in Shaanxi and Jiangsu provinces. The stench in the sewage plants was stomach-churning, but it was worth enduring to learn about the problems involved in dealing with sewage sludge.

Best quote: "I can still recall the fieldwork undertaken at that time (1982) when we spent months in the wild. It was tiring but worth it."

Wang Wenxing, an academician, who headed the field research in a three-year project to study sulfur dioxide and analyze particle matter, one of the earliest, and at the time largest, air-pollution projects in China