Beijing firecracker spree causes 184 tonnes of waste

 　　BEIJING - Urban residents in Beijing left 183.7 tonnes of paper scraps¹ from firecrackers set off during the week-long Spring Festival holiday, according to the capital's environmental sanitation² group.

　　The figure was 3.09 tonnes less than that of the previous year.

　　More than 5,000 sweepers worked during the holiday to keep residential³ communities and streets clean, said Zhang Zhiqiang, a manager with the Beijing Environmental Sanitation Engineering Group.

　　The group also kept 20 water tank trailers on standby every day during the week of January 22 to 28 in case of fires, as the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday is regarded as a season with a high occurrence of fires as a result of the firecracker spree, according to Zhang.

　　On average, a family may spend hundreds of yuan on firecrackers during the Spring Festival, with some paying more than 10,000 yuan (about $1,500) for the seasonal⁴ spree.

　　There were no statistics on how much firecracker waste was left in rural areas, where people are more enthusiastic in following the festival tradition and handle the waste themselves.

　　Setting off firecrackers was believed to be an effective way to dispel⁵ misfortune and evils in ancient times, and thus became a must for the Chinese during major festivals and celebrations.

　　However, safety hazards caused by firecrackers became a major concern in China in the late 1980s, and 282 cities banned them successively in the 1990s, resulting in controversies⁶ as some complained that the centuries-old tradition would disappear if the ban continued.

　　People also complained that there had been a loss of festivity without the bangs of firecrackers.

　　Following suit with other cities, the Beijing municipal government lifted its 12-year ban on firecrackers in December 2005, but still restricts the locations and timing⁷ for igniting firecrackers.

1 scraps   

油渣

参考例句：

• Don't litter up the floor with scraps of paper. 不要在地板上乱扔纸屑。
• A patchwork quilt is a good way of using up scraps of material. 做杂拼花布棉被是利用零碎布料的好办法。

2 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

3 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

4 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

5 dispel   

vt.驱走，驱散，消除

参考例句：

• I tried in vain to dispel her misgivings.我试图消除她的疑虑，但没有成功。
• We hope the programme will dispel certain misconceptions about the disease.我们希望这个节目能消除对这种疾病的一些误解。

6 controversies   

争论

参考例句：

• We offer no comment on these controversies here. 对于这些争议，我们在这里不作任何评论。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• The controversies surrounding population growth are unlikely to subside soon. 围绕着人口增长问题的争论看来不会很快平息。 来自辞典例句

7 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。