When nature calls, it's good to be in Beijing

Beijing has gained the quite important title of being the world's leading metropolis in the number of public toilets, CRI reports.

According to Lu Haijun, director of the Beijing Municipal Administration Commission, Bejing's 5,174 public toilets outnumber those found in major cities such as New York, London and Tokyo.

But with the honor of being the world's top public toilet city comes heavy... waste. The Chinese capital produces about 1,600 tons of garbage everyday, Lu says. The land used for waste disposal has grown to cover more than 1,300 hectares, he says, adding that at the present speed, the area will expand by 33.3 hectares a year. The problem of waste disposal has become so severe that the city has already had to open for operation dump sites planned to be put to use in 2020. The city is now addressing its growing waste problems by issuing new regulations to curb, for example, excessive packing.

However, Beijing's waste management capability remains at a sufficient level Lu says, adding that currently all urban refuse and 76 percent of suburban refuse is being handled appropriately.