More than one-third of Chinese cities are surrounded by landfills, and about one-fourth have run out of space for garbage, the Science and Technology Daily reported.

Household garbage now covers more than 50 million kilometers in land area, leading to annual economic losses of 30 billion yuan (US$4.5 billion), the report said.

As an indispensable part of dealing with the results of economic development and environmental protection, the disposal of household garbage has drawn wide attention.

More than 70 percent of all garbage in China goes to landfills, and over 20 percent goes through thermophilic composting and the remains are burned.

These methods, however, create pollution and are costly, the report said.

The keys to solving the garbage crisis in China are establishing a sorting and collecting system, researching waste recycling, and raising government and citizen awareness, according to the report.

(CRIENGLISH.com December 13, 2010)