BEIJING, July 24 -- China's promotion of garbage sorting is a key measure in building a healthy living environment for the public, said the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Wednesday.

The mixture or inappropriate disposal of household garbage will cause a plethora of problems such as contamination of surface and underground water and soil, increasing risk of congenital defects, leukemia and other tumors in human beings, said Shi Xiaoming, a senior official with the center.

Establishing garbage sorting systems in urban and rural areas will address the challenge of household garbage pollution through scientific recycling and disposal, said Shi.

The government should set up more garbage sorting facilities and build an organic chain of garbage dumping, collection, transport and disposal, the official said.