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Free park on landfill charges tourists for tickets

Xinhua, September 22, 2015 Adjust font size:

A popular park in east China city of Hangzhou began to charge tourists for tickets on Tuesday, after five years of being free of charge.

Tianziling Eco-park, the first park built on a landfill in the capital of Zhejiang Province, began to charge adult tourists for 20 yuan (around 3 U.S. dollars) per person, its operator Hangzhou Environmental Group Co., Ltd. announced Tuesday.

The company decided to charge tourists for tickets because of high operating costs, said deputy general manager Cao Hong.

In hope of creating value from trash and promoting public awareness of environmental protection, the 8-hectare park opened in 2010 with more than 10,000 trees and plants.

The landfill has attracted more than 80,000 visitors since the company launched a "trash tour" in 2011. "In the park and exhibition centers, visitors can learn about trash, the landfill processes and challenges facing garbage disposals," Cao said.

Hangzhou is famed for the West Lake and ancient stone-arch bridges. Cao hopes trash tourism could be sustainable and attract more visitors.

Garbage is a threat to China's environment. As Chinese get wealthier and buy more modern products, many cities are finding themselves drowning in trash. Endi