BEIJING - The first phase of a large waste incineration plant is expected to start operation before July in Beijing's Tongzhou District, where a new government center is under construction.

The plant, designed to deal with 4,000 tonnes of household garbage a day, will be the largest in Beijing in terms of capacity, according to the Beijing State-owned Assets Management Co.

The first phase, which cost 1.24 billion yuan ($196 million), can handle 2,250 tonnes of garbage a day.

The construction of the second phase of the project is expected to begin at the end of the year.

As part of the integrated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Beijing is redeveloping Tongzhou into a subsidiary administrative center.