BEIJING - Insufficient recycling has been blamed as a major reason behind increasingly mounting garbage surrounding cities in a rapidly urbanizing China, the China Youth Daily reported on Friday.

The report cited a government survey showing more than one-third of the nation's cities are besieged by rubbish, with the dumped garbage taking up 50,000 hectares of land.

Megacities such as Shanghai and Beijing each produce nearly 20,000 metric tons of rubbish daily and output is rising fast yearly, posing great challenges to the environment as recycling capacities fail to keep abreast of the output needing proper treatment, the report said.

The government listed a raft of cities that started piloting recycling programs back in 2000 but those programs have failed to prosper.

A survey by the newspaper showed that more than 60 percent of respondents believed the government's inadequate emphasis and investment concerning recycling have caused the current conundrum.

The garbage problem is even accused of causing cancer and other health hazards, according to the newspaper.

Chen Changzhi, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, said burning rubbish could be the best way to reduce the size of the garbage and the land it occupies. Meanwhile, the process could be harnessed for electric power generation.

However, residents worry this method could pollute local environments even though China already possesses technology to contain such pollution, the report said.

An official with the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planning body, revealed late last year that the country will invest more than 50 billion yuan ($8.1 billion) during the 2011-2015 period to promote clean garbage treatment.