Garbage piles up near a bridge in Haimen City, East China's Jiangsu Province, July 17, 2016. The garbage, mainly decoration waste, was transported from Shanghai and dumped at the site illegally, sources say. (Photo/CFP)
(ECNS) -- Nineteen suspects have been arrested for transporting garbage from Shanghai to an island in Taihu Lake, with police still seeking other suspects, Xinhua reported.
Insiders said the case exposed the Chinese metropolis's dilemma in dealing with garbage siege.
Data showed that Shanghai generated 39.15 million tons of construction waste from January to June.
The city is approaching its maximum waste disposal capacity, giving rise to speculations of illicit operations in transporting garbage to other areas, as it takes much less to move the waste to its surrounding areas.
Huibin Wharf in Shanghai, located at an unfamiliar setting in Jiading District of Shanghai, has been found related to the dirty business.
Allowed to operate in April 2014, the wharf was built along a river, with its authorized business being construction waste transport.
With its main business declining, it turned to garbage. Gradually, a garbage chain centered on the wharf began to develop. Urban waste was transported to the wharf via various channels, and then shipped to other places by an intermediary .
Further investigation showed the wharf has been engaged in unlicensed business activities since February this year after its operating license was suspended.
Its boss has been taken away by Suzhou police, according to two workers there.
Ecological restoration work has started on Xishan Island in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, where the refuse was dumped and all the garbage has been removed.
Shanghai has also forbidden the transport or dumping of garbage in other cites, the municipal bureau of landscaping administration said on July 22. But the economic powerhouse still faces mounting pressures from waste management.
