Better way to dispose of trash is in the bag

OFFICIALLY standardized garbage bags, designed for different types of trash, are set to be sold in city supermarkets as early as next month.

The Shanghai Greenery and Public Sanitation Bureau has given technical specifications for colors, sizes, advise signs and strengths of bags to manufacturers. It will encourage residents to use them.

“Bags designed for household food waste are thicker with better sealing properties because household food waste is wet,” said Qi Yumei, deputy director of the bureau’s sanitation management department.

“Dry or residual garbage bags are bigger with holes in the bottom. This design helps prevent dumping because wet trash will drip from the holes.”

Dry garbage bags are black, wet are brown.

“The bags have signs for how to sort garbage correctly as well as safety warnings,” said Qi.

Convenient and clear

“At present there are a variety of garbage bags sold at supermarkets with different sizes and colors. We want to make it convenient and clear for residents when they sort and dump garbage.”

The bureau is in talks with supermarkets about a green account program, under which participants accrue points for sorting their garbage into appropriate bags. These points would be redeemable for items such as milk, soap, toothpaste, phone cards and utility bill payments.

The prices have not been fixed so far.

The bags are expected to be sold at outlets of Carrefour, according to Qi.

There is so far no standard for trash bags designed for waste sorting in China.

A total of 4,879 tons of perishable wastes, or wet wastes, are sorted daily in the city, above the target of 3,483 tons. As of the end of September, there are 537 standard collection and transportation trucks for household food waste.

The renovation work on 3,050 garbage dumping stations in residential blocks citywide has been completed, according to the bureau.

Construction work on three wet trash treatment projects and a waste incineration factory is under way.