Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) Liang Li, deputy director of the Environmental Sanitation Technology Research Institute of the Liuzhou Municipal Environmental Sanitation Management Office in Guangxi, is a woman who has dealt with garbage for many years. For 18 years, she has been rooted in the front line of sanitation, from sanitary landfill and leachate treatment of domestic waste, to the supervision of domestic waste disposal projects, and the investigation of environmental hazards involving heavy metals, without slacking off even on holidays.
In 2007, Liang Li, a graduate in environmental engineering, entered the Liuzhou Municipal Domestic Waste Landfill with professional knowledge and aspirations for the future. Standing on this "battlefield," the pungent odor immediately gave her a rude awakening.
"At the time, my family was worried, thinking that it was unseemly for a young woman to deal with garbage every day," Liang Li recalled, admitting that she felt uncomfortable and pressured when she first started working. But her indomitable spirit made her choose to persevere. With the guidance and help of her superiors and colleagues, she quickly adapted to her position, applying the theories in her books to the equalization tanks, biological treatment tanks, and membrane treatment equipment before her. Liang Li is responsible for controlling the leachate treatment process, which directly impacts the city's ecological environment and the safety of the Liujiang River's water quality. Leachate from landfills is first collected in an equalization tank, then enters an anaerobic digester and a biological treatment tank, and finally undergoes membrane treatment to meet discharge standards.
She acts like a "diagnostic doctor"—daily monitoring water quality data from the laboratory, observing the color, concentration, and properties of the sludge in the biological treatment tank, noting the state of the churning foam, and checking for uniform, "boiling water" aeration in the aeration tank to determine the "health" of the treatment system.
Once, the system's effluent indicators suddenly failed to meet standards. Following her self-developed troubleshooting sequence: first, visually observing the sludge properties and foam changes; then checking the uniformity of aeration; and finally, combining this with laboratory data, determining that the problem stemmed from an imbalance in the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio. After finding the cause, she repeatedly fine-tuned the carbon source dosage, controlled the aeration rate and wastewater retention time, and after several days, the effluent finally stabilized and met standards. "Back then, I spent every day squatting by the sewage pool, smelling, looking, and adjusting the wastewater; I smelled terrible," she said with a laugh.
In landfill management, Liang Li realized that experience alone was far from enough; a scientific and standardized management system was essential. From the metering of incoming waste to landfill operations and leachate treatment, she led her team to develop detailed operating procedures, safety regulations, and record forms, identifying each hazard and marking key hazards on-site.
Through systematic closed-loop management, common industry problems such as non-standard landfill operations and unstable leachate treatment were effectively solved, helping Liuzhou achieve a 100% harmless treatment rate for municipal solid waste.
Years of frontline experience dealing with waste led Liang Li to take on a crucial role in 2025, dedicating herself to the investigation and rectification of heavy metal-related environmental hazards in Liuzhou. She said that closing landfills does not mean "closing them down and forgetting about them." Leachate continues to be generated, the landfill's impermeable layer may be aging and damaged, and there is a risk of groundwater exceeding standards… These are all unseen but must be constantly monitored for hidden dangers.
In response to the problems discovered during the city-wide landfill inspection, she guided each landfill to develop a tailored remediation plan, detailing specific rectification measures; implemented a weekly scheduling mechanism to track the progress of rectification in real time; provided continuous guidance and supervision to relevant units to implement rectification according to the plan, and strictly controlled the quality of rectification; ultimately, she ensured that all problems were rectified on schedule and with high quality, thoroughly strengthening the environmental safety defense line for municipal solid waste landfills.
Liang Li's years of dedication have also earned her recognition; in 2026, she was awarded the title of "Guangxi March 8th Red Banner Bearer." She said, "Liuzhou's water quality has ranked first in the country for many years, and it has also successfully created a national civilized city. I feel a great sense of accomplishment." (End)
