Legislators in the Chinese capital plan to draft a regulation on garbage disposal, which is expected to enforce garbage sorting system while regulating controversial garbage incineration plants.

Saturday's Beijing News quoted a document of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress as saying that the regulation would be drafted this year and submitted for review next year.

The planned legislation would likely make garbage sorting an obligation of waste treatment departments and residents, said Zhao Yi, director of the city legislature's environmental protection office.

It is estimated that Beijing's 17.55 million residents produce almost 18,400 tonnes of household garbage every day, 90 percent of which are landfilled, mainly because it is difficult to recycle unsorted garbage.

The city government has been working to have daily garbage sorted into three categories -- recyclable garbage, kitchen garbage and others. But most of the garbage stations and landfills have not conducted the sorting work.

In 2009, garbage sorting was only carried out among 10 percent of Beijing residents, according to the government statistics.

The government plans to realize garbage sorting in all schools and government departments this year, said a government statement in mid February.

The regulation will also stipulate on garbage incineration plants, with a plan to enforce the monitoring and daily reporting of emissions from the plants, Zhao told the newspaper.

As the capital city is running short of landfills, the government resorts to more garbage incineration plants.

The city planned to increase the incineration percentage from current 5 percent to 20 percent by 2012. But many residents have voiced concerns out of fears of potential health risks caused by emissions from the plants.

Zhao said the legislation should be able to help ease the public concerns as the law would ensure transparent management of the incineration plants.

(Xinhua News Agency February 27, 2010)