Since being included on the national list for the development of zero-waste cities in April 2022, Lanzhou, capital of Northwest China's Gansu province, has been making consistent efforts in its industries, daily life and hazardous waste.

Over the past three years, Lanzhou has undertaken its development as a zero-waste city, viewed as being a fundamentally important part of building a beautiful Lanzhou in the new era.

The Zhongpuzi household waste incineration power generation plant, a key livelihood project in Lanzhou, was funded and constructed by Lanzhou Fengquan Environmental Protection Power.

The operation of the project has revolutionized the city's urban household waste treatment, achieving benign, reduced and resourceful treatment of household waste.

Work gets underway at the Zhongpuzi household waste incineration power generation plant. [Photo/Gansu Daily]

After incineration, the household waste not only generates electricity, but also the residual slag can be utilized at high temperatures to make new materials such as pavement bricks, said company spokesperson Xia Wei.

In recent years, Lanzhou has also made dedicated efforts to enhance its solid waste management capabilities through policy guidance, technical support and other means.

In 2024, the city's comprehensive utilization level of general industrial solid waste resources remained above 90 percent, while the comprehensive utilization rate of hazardous waste reached 61.96 percent and all medical waste was safely disposed.

Lanzhou is now more beautiful and livable since its move to become a zero-waste city. [Photo/Gansu Daily]

To popularize the concept of a zero-waste city among its citizens, Lanzhou has rolled out various measures. For instance, during last year's Lanzhou Marathon, competitors chose low-carbon travel to reduce carbon emissions and traffic congestion. The event also used environmentally friendly materials to reduce the use of disposable plastic products.