As you’ve probably heard by now, China’s been dealing with a massive tainted milk problem. Now that hundreds of tons of milk products have been recalled, precincts are scrambling to figure out what to do with the resulting trash. One city in Southern China has decided that one great way to get rid of all that melamine-laden fluid is to bake them into bricks and cement. Wang Fan, director of the Guangzhou food safety office, told reporters that the milk burned in a kiln produces a residue that can be used to manufacture building blocks. By disposing of it this way, the government can ensure that it doesn’t get poured into rivers (which would contaminate fish) or dumped into landfills (possibly contaminating ground water). The cost is way lower too – about 700 yuan per ton for brick making rather than 1800 yuan per ton for hazardous waste treatment. The moral to this story: When life gives you tainted milk, make bricks. Well, hopefully that and completely overhaul your food and drug safety system to better regulate a market that’s exploded in size in the last twenty years. [China Daily]
