Solid and Hazardous Waste

It was just another day on the Yangtze River of China when Zhoa Bangying, 21 years old, working as a uniformed attendant of a Russian-built hydrofoil boat, threw a large bag of trash out the window and into the river. China is entering an era of economic development complete with fast food, single-use disposable items, and a throwaway culture. Throwing trash out the window into the river, or onto the streets, is so commonplace, that no one is surprised. Garbage and rubbish floats down China’s rivers, chokes its canals, flies out of passenger train windows, and creates mountains of trash.