Once heavily reliant on landfills, China has transformed the way it deals with urban waste. Today, waste-to-energy plants are turning garbage into electricity, helping reduce pollution while providing power for thousands of households. 

At a modern incineration facility in Beijing, garbage is first stored and fermented before being fed into high-temperature furnaces. The heat generated produces steam that drives turbines to generate electricity for the national grid. Advanced purification systems ensure emissions remain strictly controlled, addressing concerns about pollutants such as dioxins. 

By converting waste into energy, China is shifting from simply disposing of trash to treating it as a valuable resource. The model supports the country's push toward greener development and "zero-waste cities," while Chinese technologies are also being introduced overseas in developing regions facing growing waste challenges.