By 2020, the waste-to-energy plant being constructed in Shenzhen will convert 1/3 of its trash into energy.
Did you know? Every year, humans on this planet generate over 2.6 trillion tons of garbage – the weight of about 7,000 Empire State Buildings. In developed nations, such as the United States, approximately 55% of that ends up in landfills.
Obviously, this is a travesty which needs to be remedied. Thankfully, a semi-solution presently exists.
Countries like Sweden already convert garbage into energy using waste-to-energy plants (in fact, the nation ran out of trash in 2013) but there’s a shortage of other nations doing similar.
Hopefully, the idea of converting garbage into energy will soon catch on. At least by 2020, it will be a recognized ‘norm’ in the city of Shenzhen, China.
The city, reports Fast Company, intends to convert its abundance of waste into usable electricity by investing in the world’s largest waste-to-energy facility. Every day, 5,000 tons of garbage will be burned away.
Read more here.