The trash problem in China (30 images)

A Chinese man packs a lorry with recyclable trash in Beijing on May 22, 2011. After surpassing the United States as the world's largest producer of household garbage, China has embarked on a massive program to build incinerators as landfills run out of space. Yet these incinerators have become a growing source of toxic emissions that can damage the body's nervous system. UPI/Stephen Shaver

A massive landfill nears its capacity on the outskirts of Beijing on June 20, 2012. China produces nearly a third of the world's trash, a burden that the government is attempting to solve by burning some of it for energy. China's metropolises are growing far faster than their waste-disposal systems can handle. UPI/Stephen Shaver

A Chinese migrant worker hauls a load of recyclable trash to a refuse depot in Beijing March 17, 2011. China faces a tough task in finding a balance between creating jobs and cooling inflation, according to country's top leaders. UPI/Stephen Shaver

A migrant Chinese trash collector transports a large haul of Styrofoam to a recycling depot in central Beijing November 24, 2008. (UPI Photo/Stephen Shaver)