A waste-to-energy plant was put into operation on Tuesday in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is the first mega waste-to-energy plant in Xinjiang. A waste-to-energy plant is a waste management facility that combusts wastes to produce electricity. The plant could process about 4,500 tonnes of wastes daily. It is expected to treat 1.6 million tonnes of garbage each year. The power generated will reduce standard coal consumption by 500,000 tonnes annually.