China’s waste-energy plants are running out of rubbish to burn, as slowing consumption, a declining population and improved rubbish management leave power operators facing shortages.

China poured investment in a huge network of waste-burning plants a decade ago to tackle the “rubbish sieges” plaguing its cities.

The country now has more than 1,000 waste-incinerating power stations, representing more than half the world’s waste power capacity, according to the Global Waste-to-Energy Research and Technology Council.

“In order to solve the problem of rubbish sieges following China’s rapid urbanisation, incineration was a relatively quick [solution],” said Zhang Jingning, secretary-general of the Wuhu Ecology Center, an Anhui-based environmental group that tracks the sector. “Sorting waste can take a longer time, whereas, in China, building an incineration plant can take less than two years.”