The only garbage treatment plant in Jiaxing City of Zhejiang has been surrounded since November 9 by local villagers protesting at its pollution of the local environment. The villagers are refusing to allow garbage trucks to enter the treatment plant and hundreds of tons of garbage are piling up waiting to be treated, Xinhuanet reported on November 9, 2008.

A Xinhua reporter found about 30 villagers still blocking the entrance of the garbage treatment plant on the afternoon of November 11. Seven huge blue garbage trucks were stranded outside the factory with their front tires deflated.

The city's garbage transfer stations are meanwhile turning into real garbage dumps. Garbage is piling up along roadsides, giving off a terrible smell.

Normally the transfer stations process more than 400 tons of garbage a day.

The Jiaxing government, Jiaxing Construction Bureau and Jiaxing Environment Protection Bureau are working together to prevent the situation from deteriorating.

(China.org.cn by Zhang Ming'ai, November 12, 2008)