Beijing meets water, waste goals from Olympics

Beijing has reportedly achieved and largely surpassed its drinking water and waste-management goals set as part of its bid for last summer’s Olympics.

The findings are part of a report from the United Nations Environment Programme, in collaboration with several partners including think-tank World Resources Institute (WRI).

WRI’s research on water and waste showed the city’s drinking water treatment plants met China’s new water quality standards and World Health Organization guidelines. Beijing also grew its wastewater collection and treatment systems, allowing the city to treat 92 percent of its wastewater during the games, according to the report.

“Beijing prepared impressively in these areas for the Olympic games. In the end, the city improved its drinking water, as well as its waste-disposal and recycling systems,” said Cy Jones, a WRI senior associate and lead author of two of the report's chapters in a news release.

Jones highlighted how more still needs to be done to ensure Beijing’s water supply is sustainable in the long term, but its proactive efforts before the games demonstrate it’s possible for cities to minimize water consumption, maximize available rainwater and treated wastewater, and to protect critical surface-water resources (see The fetid river you didn't see on the Beijing Olympics). The European emission standard was also applied to improve China’s air quality levels in time for the Olympics.

Beijing exceeded its plan to sort 50 percent and recycle 30 percent of its solid waste by 2008, thanks to upgrades to its waste disposal system. In addition, it grew its ability to properly dispose of hazardous waste in specially designated landfills, according to the report.