SHANGHAI -- Shanghai has built a waste-to-energy plant that can treat a third of the total garbage produced by its residents, as the city pushes for greener development, according to local authorities.

The second phase of the waste-to-energy plant was put into operation Friday. The project, with an area of 18.9 hectares, is expected to handle 6,000 tonnes of waste per day, according to its constructor Shanghai Chengtou Group Corporation.

A waste-to-energy plant is a waste management facility that combusts wastes to produce electricity.

The plant is able to treat 3 million tonnes of garbage each year and generate around 1.5 billion kilowatt hours of electricity.

Aiming for more efficient garbage disposal, Shanghai will implement its first regulation on domestic waste management on July 1, making garbage sorting compulsory.