The Students’ Union

The Students’ Union

9 . Before you throw your trash into the nearest can, think for a moment. Not all your garbage can be dumped into one trashcan. It needs to be sorted out with different things going into different bins. Waste classification, a practice that has long been normal in developed countries like Japan, is the new challenge for many Chinese urban residents. However, though initially you might need to rack your brains to figure out which trash goes into which can, in the long run, the result is well worth the effort.

Landfills, sites where waste is buried and covered over with soil, are a major method of disposing of residential waste in China. However, considering the environmental disaster associated with burying waste, there is a pressing need to reduce the amount of waste that goes into a landfill. Classification, sorting waste into different categories such as harmful waste, recyclables and kitchen waste, is a key solution.

Currently, 46 cities across China, are carrying out a program that aims to put in place a classification-based garbage disposal system by the end of 2020. It is hoped that this will reduce the quantity of waste that ends up in landfills by a large degree. Shanghai came into the media focus in early July after it carried out compulsory garbage sorting rules that those who fail to dispose of garbage properly should be fined. Beijing is reviewing its regulations to follow in Shanghai’s footsteps. The new rules may cause short-term inconvenience but they are meant to help residents follow the concept of garbage classification for the common good.

As the programs show, residents can gradually develop this habit with their growing consciousness and the help of advanced technology. In future, this practice should be adopted across China, in urban cities and rural areas alike. With public involvement, China’s garbage sorting program will contribute not only to the nation’s sustainable (可持续的) development but also to making the planet a better place to live in.

10 . If you live in China, mandatory (强制的) garbage sorting is coming to a city near you. In the UK, people have been sorting out rubbish for a while. For most people, it’s just second nature to sort waste at home before throwing it into separate bins.

But like most Brits and other Westerners, I had no idea that most of our recycling used to go to China until the country banned foreign trash imports last year. With its booming middle class of urban consumers, China has its own increasing waste problems that it urgently needs to deal with. During China’s new drive to sort out its trash problem, I was keen to see what Hangzhou was doing to get residents ready.

It was seven a.m. when I first got to work, in a local community where residents were heading out to work, school or for a morning walk. I was joined by Liu Lianqun, a “garbage guide” next to the local trash sorting station. When many locals approached us, enthusiastically holding their green bags given for free, it was up to us to give them a kind but firm telling-off. “Kitchen waste is food items only! No tissues! No paper! No plastic!” Some people took our advice while others were clearly angry at being told what to do. It’s understandable. Our rubbish can be very personal and something that we keep to ourselves. Any attempt by a stranger to spy into our bin bags is going to be unwelcome. But Liu was very optimistic that progress was being made.

In another community, I found a different approach to garbage sorting—rewarding residents with points in return for their recyclable waste. By scanning a QR code through a smart phone app, locals can collect points for their cardboard, plastic bottles and old clothing, and exchange them for goods or cash in local shops.

If common people could see truck after truck pouring glass, paper and plastic into landfill with their own eyes, they would likely give garbage separation a lot more attention. For China’s garbage separation campaign, education will be essential in the long term.