For Xu, incineration is not just an unavoidable choice but a better choice.

"Landfills will generate more greenhouse gas emissions than incineration plants. And since the garbage is buried in the land, it has higher risks to contaminate underground water and the soil," Xu said, adding that the incineration technology is more advanced in treating garbage.

Xu said the reason that incineration was not widely used in China in the past is its high costs. The cost of treating 1 ton of garbage is 10 yuan ($1.5) to 100 yuan using by landfills (depending on the location); the cost is well above 100 yuan using incineration.

"But now the economic growth of China (allows the nation to) afford incineration, which is definitely more environmentally friendly than landfills," he said.

Environmentalists in China, however, are opposed to incineration. They argue that hazardous emissions, such as the toxic dioxin, are an inevitable consequence once an incineration plant is put into use. Dioxins have been known to damage people's overall health, especially to residents near incineration plants.

As a result, a number of proposed incineration projects in China are on hold.

The city of Panyu, South China's Guangdong province, announced its plan to build an incineration plant in 2009, but the location of the project is still under discussion because residents do not want an incinerator in their backyard.

Chen Zefeng, chairman of Zhongde Waste Technology Co, one of the pioneers in China's incineration industry, said public disagreement will not be a problem in the long run as more and more people become familiar with the technology.

"Incineration technology is a well-developed technology," Chen said. "All the emissions are able to meet a safe standard if you really understand it."

Chen claims that public opinion on incineration plants has changed a lot in the past two to three years.

"Three years ago, we had to go to local governments and try very hard to convince them to use incineration. But now they come to us, they know there is no better option," said Chen, who added that dozens of cities have asked to work with the Germany-listed company.

Chen said Zhongde has nine waste incineration projects in China and aims to expand aggressively in the next 10 years.