By 2010, ships could replace garbage trucks as the main means of transporting rubbish in Shanghai.

Shanghai is currently running a 900-million-yuan (US$132 million) project which will make use of inland waterways including small rivers and creeks to transport the city's waste.

Officials with the Shanghai Chengtou Corp, the company in charge of the project, said using ships to transport garbage is cheaper and more environmentally sound than using trucks.

Garbage trucks sometimes spill their contents on the road and they pollute the city's streets.

Shanghai produces nearly 20,000 tons of solid garbage each day, including household waste and the non-toxic rubbish from offices and factories, officials said.

The project is expected to get up and running before the end of 2010.

In 2007, about 7.02 million tons of garbage was produced in Shanghai.

The garbage is transported to factories in Shanghai to be buried, burned, biochemically treated or temporarily stored.

(Shanghai Daily November 10, 2008)