Shenzhen Digs Up Giant Rubbish Mountain

Shenzhen is transforming the massive Yulong landfill, once a 110-meter-high refuse mountain, into valuable urban space through China's largest landfill excavation project. Approximately 6,000 tonnes of buried waste are removed daily, with combustible materials separated for energy recovery.

This operation aims to reclaim about 300,000 square meters of land, previously occupied by 2.55 million cubic meters of waste, for a planned digital industry cluster and ecological green valley. This initiative signifies a major shift in China's approach to managing aging waste sites.

Nationwide, over 80% of Chinese cities have completed remediation of old waste mountains. Modern waste management focuses on energy and material recovery, with most household waste now incinerated in advanced facilities. Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen no longer rely on landfills for untreated household waste.

This transformation is particularly rapid, with incineration capacity for urban household waste increasing significantly. By November 2025, incineration will handle a vast majority of waste treatment, utilizing high-temperature furnaces and advanced pollutant control systems.