one man’s trash…

….is another man’s power plant. 新京报/The Beijing News’ Du Ding reports on the test run of Beijing’s first trash power station:

垃圾焚烧厂点火试运行

 Trash burning plant ignites for a test run

位于高安屯系北京首座，火力可发电炉渣可制砖

 Situated in Gaoantun, Beijing’s first such station. Thermal electricity generator’s cinders can be used to make bricks

 Hmmm…. need to polish that subtitle.

昨天，北京第一座垃圾焚烧发电厂———高安屯生活垃圾焚烧发电厂点火试运行。今后，家庭产生的生活垃圾在此焚烧后，产生的炉渣将可制作成砖头。而该焚烧发电厂的启用也解决了生活垃圾在填埋过程中产生的臭味等环境问题。

Yesterday Beijing’s first trash-fired power plant- Gaoantun Domestic Trash-Fired Power Plant ignited for a test run. From now on, after domestic rubbish produced by households is burnt here, the cinders produced will be able to be made into bricks. Also, the commission of this thermal power plant will resolve environmental problems such as the foul smell produced in the process of burying domestic trash.

“炉渣砖头”不用于民宅

“Cinder bricks” not to be used in homes

高安屯垃圾焚烧发电厂每年将焚烧53.3万吨垃圾。据高安屯垃圾焚烧发电厂顾问总工程师刘申伯介绍，垃圾运到厂里后，将不再分类，直接进行焚 烧。焚烧后，垃圾产生的炉渣约占垃圾总重量20%，每年约有12万吨，这些炉渣将被制作成砖头，“一般不用在民宅上，而是用在城市道路和防护堤坝上。”

The Gaoantun trash-fired power plant will burn 533 thousand tons of trash each year. According to the chief consulting engineer of Gaoantun trash-fired power plant Liu Shenbo, after trash is transported to the plant, it will not be sorted a second time, but burnt directly. After burning, the cinders will weigh 20% of the total weight of the trash. There will be 120 thousand tons per year, and these cinders will be made into bricks, “Generally they won’t be used in homes, but will be used for paving city roads or in flood defences.

另外，焚烧垃圾每年产生的1.4万吨飞灰，将按国家关于危险废物的政策法规要求进行处理，并烧制成陶粒，作为建筑材料。

In addition, the 140 thousand tons of loose ash produced each year by burning rubbish will be handled according to the state policy and regulations on hazardous waste and will be burnt to produce ceramsite for use as building materials.

解决垃圾臭味扩散问题

Resolving the problem of the spread of foul trash odours

高安屯生活垃圾焚烧发电厂位于朝阳区金盏乡，之前作为垃圾卫生填埋场，每天1600吨的垃圾在填埋过程中产生恶臭、地下水污染等问题。位于高安屯垃圾场下风向的天赐良园小区居民经常反映能闻到一股刺鼻的臭味。

The Gaoantun domestic trash-fired power plant is located in Chaoyang District’s Jinzhan Village, which was previously a garbage-disposal landfill. Every year 1600 tons of trash produced a foul smell, ground water pollution, and other problems in the burial process. The residents of the Tianciliangyuan estate located downwind of the Gaoantun landfill often reported being able to smell a foul, nose-irritating stench.

对此，高安屯生活垃圾焚烧发电厂工作人员表示，焚烧是目前先进国家通行的垃圾处理方式，解决了垃圾坑臭味外溢的问题。同时，在卸垃圾过程中，采用进口空气幕，解决了卸料过程的垃圾臭味扩散。

 To this a worker of the Gaoantun domestic trash-fired power plant said burning is currently an advanced, State-licensed method of handling trash and would resolve the problem of foul smells leaking out of the trash pit. At the same time, in the process of unloading trash, an imported air-curtain would be used to prevent the spread of the foul smell of the trash as it is being unloaded.

解决朝阳一半垃圾处理

To solve half of Chaoyang’s trash handling

据了解，该垃圾焚烧发电厂运行后，可为朝阳区200多万城市人口提供环境卫生服务，解决朝阳区一半的垃圾处理问题。

It is understood that when this trash-fired power plant is in operation, it will be able to provide environmental sanitation services to over two million of Chaoyang District’s residents and resolve half of Chaoyang District’s trash handling problems.

I know what you’re asking, and reading all that the same question was just itching to burst out of my mouth:

What about emissions?!?!?

There is, of course, an answer:

居民担心垃圾燃烧尾气危害健康，厂方表示

Residents are concerned emissions from burning trash will harm their health, plant says

垃圾燃烧尾气符合国家标准

Trash burning emissions in accordance national standards

　　高安屯附近万象新天小区居民陈先生称，以往，高安屯垃圾填埋场发出的臭味给周边居民带来影响，特别是一到夏天，臭味的浓度和范围都在扩大。现 在，高安屯生活垃圾焚烧厂点火试运行，臭味可能会减少，但又开始担心垃圾燃烧产生的新气体是否符合环保要求，会不会危害居民的健康？

Mr Chen, a resident of the Wanxiangxintian estate nearby Gaoantun, said that in the past the Gaoantun landfill emitted a foul smell affecting surrounding residents, and especially in the summer the strength and scope of the foul smell would increase. Now that the Gaoantun domestic trash-fired power plant has ignited for a test run, the foul smell might be reduced, but he’s now worried whether the gases produced by burning the trash meet environmental protection requirements and whether they will harm resident’s health?

对此，高安屯垃圾焚烧发电厂顾问总工程师刘申伯表示，垃圾焚烧系统采用适合中国垃圾特点的炉排炉焚烧技术，先进的供风系统和自动燃烧控制装置，还有尾气净化系统，可以确保尾气排放符合国家和地方的相关标准。

 To this, the chief consulting engineer of Gaoantun trash-fired power plant Liu Shenbo said the trash burning system uses [combustion technology suitable to the special characteristics of Chinese rubbish], an advanced fan system and automatic combustion control equipment and an emissions purifying system, and can guarantee that the emissions will meet the relevant national and local standards.

All right, that bit in [square brackets] I really have no idea what it’s about. What the hell is the particular technology involved? Is he really talking about the special characteristics of Chinese trash? Or is this something more sensible than that? Help!

Anyway, I decided to check where Gaoantun is, and google ditu’ed it. First result gave me a wtf? Yup, that A is at Beichen, not far from where a friend of mine used to live, very close to the Bird’s nest, in an area I’ve visited many times and which I could’ve sworn there was no landfill at all. Then I looked closer and realised the address must be for the company headquarters. No, perhaps this map gives a better idea of the location. Look for the ‘D’ just above centre.

So the company headquarters is a long way from the plant itself…..

Well, I hope this article is for real and isn’t just a puff-piece. Yeah, I know.

Just an aside: Lately nciku has been working really well for me. I don’t know if it’s because they finally solved the problem they had connecting with university networks or if it’s because with all the students off home for the summer holiday or being too busy with their Olympic volunteer work to clog up the BeiGongDa system. Whatever, I’m liking this situation and I hope it continues after September 20.