SHENZHEN — Eleven cities and five areas in China have been selected to pilot waste-free programs and curb trash created in cities.

The pilot programs, led by Ministry of Ecology and Environment and 17 other ministerial-level bodies, were launched in Shenzhen on May 13.

Participating cities include Shenzhen, downtown Chongqing, Sanya in Hainan, and eight other cities across China.

The Xiongan New Area, Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area in Yizhuang, China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city, Guangze county in Fujian province and Ruijin in Jiangxi province also joined the program.

About 10 billion tons of solid waste are produced annually in China, according to Du Xiangwan, an academician from the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

The amount of waste, if poorly handled, will be a huge burden for the environment and waste of resources, said Du.

Zero waste in cities calls for reducing trash production at the source, cutting landfill and increasing recycling.

“The long-term goal is to minimize solid waste production, maximize the use of trash-recycled resources and safe disposal,” Du said.