Chongqing bans smoked bacon to improve air quality   

为改善空气质量叫停烟熏腊肉、露天焚烧

(ECNS) - Smoked bacon, open burning, and high-polluting fuels have been banned to improve air quality and promote health in Southwest China's Chongqing province, the Chongqing Evening News reported on Thursday.

The ratio of pollution generated by everyday human activities against PM2.5 has risen to 16 percent from 10 percent, according to analysis by the Chongqing Environmental Protection Bureau (CEPB).

The CEPB says the main pollution sources come from the process of smoking bacon (especially before the Spring Festival, China's Lunar New Year), burning leaves and rubbish, and using high-polluting fuels to cook a popular dish called "firewood chicken."

The CEPB adds that smoking bacon and incinerating rubbish outside are banned and that restaurants with firewood chicken on their menus should use natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, electricity or other clean energy sources instead of high-polluting fuels such as coal and firewood.

Those who continue to smoke bacon or burn leaves and rubbish outside will be fined 50 to 5,000 yuan ($8 to $805). Those who fail to stop using high-polluting fuels will be fined 2,000 to 200,000 yuan.