A decade ago, China had the world's biggest garbage problem. Trash was piled 50-stories high in Jiangcugou, the country's largest landfill, and forced its closure 20 years ahead of schedule.

The country turned to incinerators, which burn household and some industrial waste to generate electricity. Today, 78% of Chinese trash heads to incinerators.

The proliferation of Chinese incinerators, the most efficient in the world, has created a garbage shortage across the country. Waste incineration capacity exceeds China's generation of garbage, and some plants are idled for months at a time.

China is now aggressively exporting Waste-to-Energy systems, especially in markets here in East Asia.