Opportunities and challenges of environmental geotechnics in China

Environmental problems in waste management and soil contamination are serious in China. The Chinese government has paid great attention to these problems, and environmental geotechnics has become a new and promising direction for both research and industry. The opportunities and challenges of environmental geotechnics in China are presented from two aspects, that is, solid waste management and soil contamination control/remediation. New methods and technologies are required for the design and management of Chinese sanitary landfills, which contain high food waste content municipal solid wastes and commonly have high leachate mounds. The market of contaminated site remediation is developing rapidly in China as a result of growing reuse of brownfields left by relocation of old and polluting industries. The valuable experience and mature technologies of the developed countries in contaminated land remediation are helpful to promote technological advancement in China.