Shenzhen has begun transforming the former Yulong landfill in Luohu district into a high-tech industrial zone, Xinhua reports. The 116,900-square-metre site, once the city’s largest dumping ground, is now the country’s biggest full-excavation landfill relocation project.
The landfill was established in 1983, closed in 1997 and sealed in 2005 after accumulating 2.55 million cubic metres of waste. For years it remained an eyesore and a source of pollution for nearby communities.
Last year, Luohu designated the rehabilitation as the district’s “top project.” The local government is investing 2.17 billion yuan (US$305 million) into what Xinhua calls “one of China’s most challenging environmental remediation efforts.”
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Ye Bin, deputy director of Luohu’s urban management bureau, described the restoration process as a “high-tech battle.” He noted that engineers had deployed China’s largest protective canopy system to contain odours and dust, and were using rapid aerobic pretreatment technology to speed up waste stabilisation.
Excavation crews, meanwhile, were handling a daily 6,000 cubic metres of refuse, comprising construction debris, household waste, sludge and contaminated soil. Trucks were transporting it all to screening facilities, with eligible materials destined for reuse.
Officials said the site would eventually release about 300,000 square metres of land for redevelopment as a “digital innovation valley.” The zone will focus on artificial intelligence (AI), health technologies and digital industries in line with Shenzhen’s economic strategy.
