The plant has a centralised DCS — Distributed Control System — a giant wall of screens displaying real-time data around the clock.
The system monitors and manages virtually every stage of the operation.
Combustion optimisation: AI-assisted systems adjust oxygen levels, temperature and waste feed to keep incineration stable and efficient.
Emissions tracking: Continuous monitoring systems track pollutants such as dioxins, sulphur dioxide and particulates. The data is transmitted to the local environmental authorities, creating a level of transparency and external monitoring that makes manipulation considerably more difficult.
Crane automation: Operators work from a control room, while automated systems help determine the optimal mixing of waste from different pits to ensure efficient and even combustion.
The cranes themselves were operating largely on autopilot. A human operator could supervise cranes from a relatively quiet control room and intervene manually when necessary — for instance, when the composition of the waste changed significantly.
I found this particularly fascinating.
It was a reminder that what we call “smart city” technology is not necessarily about futuristic gadgets or spectacular buildings. Sometimes, it is simply about taking an ordinary urban problem and applying data, engineering, automation and disciplined management to it.
And, inevitably, Lagos came to my mind.
I began to wonder what a facility of this nature could mean for Lagos, Abuja and other major Nigerian cities that generate enormous quantities of waste every day but struggle with collection, disposal and recycling.
Imagine if some of that waste could be converted into electricity, construction materials and industrial inputs.
Imagine if waste management became a serious industry rather than merely a sanitation problem.
It would create jobs. It could generate energy. It could reduce the environmental burden on our cities. It could create new businesses around recycling and resource recovery. And, perhaps most importantly, it could change the way citizens think about waste.
The lesson I took away from Jiufeng was not that Nigeria should simply copy China.
Countries have different circumstances, institutions and capacities.
The more important lesson is that problems that appear permanent can sometimes be transformed when technology is combined with institutional capacity, investment and political will.
Waste does not have to remain waste.
Sometimes, it is a resource waiting for a system smart enough to recognise it.
And that, perhaps, is one of the thrills of experiencing the Chinese “smart life”—you begin to look at familiar problems through a different lens.

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