Why Does More Advanced Incineration Technology Lead to Less Trash to Burn in China？

Why Does More Advanced Incineration Technology Lead to Less Trash to Burn in China?
Would you believe it? Think back to 2009, when the stench from the 460 landfills documented in Beijing Besieged by Waste seemed to linger. The mountains of openly dumped refuse and groundwater contaminated by leachate once plunged the city into an environmental crisis. Yet, fourteen years later, China finds itself in the awkward position of having 107 waste incinerators struggling for feedstock—these "city cleaners," meant to run 24 hours a day, have an annual idle rate of over 50%! On one side is the desperation of a city once encircled by garbage, and on the other, the absurdity of incinerator doors standing closed. This dramatic reversal in environmental management has completely upended traditional perceptions of waste disposal.

The Secret Code: From Trash Burden to Energy Gold Mine
The core secret to this transformation is hidden in the "garbage pressure cooker" in Conghua, Guangzhou. This facility uses supercritical incineration technology, which instantly pushes pressure up to 13 MPa and temperature to 485∘C, essentially creating a "Laozi's Elixir Furnace" for waste. Under these extreme conditions, the energy density of the steam generated from waste combustion is significantly boosted. Where one ton of garbage previously generated only 300 kWh of electricity, it can now "squeeze" out an extra 100 kWh, directly elevating thermal efficiency from 35% to 45%! Residential waste, once considered a municipal burden, has been transformed by technology into an endless "energy gold mine."
As supercritical technology tore open the breakthrough for waste resource utilization, AI intelligent systems followed, going into "full throttle." By real-time monitoring of thousands of sensor data points within the incinerator, AI algorithms precisely regulate oxygen levels and feed rate, boosting the grid-connected electricity output per ton of waste by another 4.2%. Even more astonishing is the FAST process developed in Shanghai, a "magic touch" that transforms ash into gold: chemically extracting and calcining the fly ash generated from combustion into industrial salt with a purity of 98%. This not only solves the problem of fly ash landfilling but also achieves a 95% reduction in waste sent to landfills. From power generation to resource recovery, modern technology is "eating up and squeezing dry" the trash, leading to the sweet problem of "the more advanced, the less fuel."
But as China's waste treatment technology achieves a "curve-overtaking" leap, why do developed countries in Europe and the US still maintain a landfill rate as high as 40%? Is the "trash shortage" brought about by technological iteration a medal of environmental victory or the fuse for a hidden crisis? This text will unveil the deeper secrets behind the global technology race, concerning resource circularity, industrial competition, and the logic of survival.