Less waste, better garbage disposal

SHANGHAI’S first domestic garbage regulations are set to be implemented from July 1.

The city government is working on standards for green packaging in the parcel delivery industry, as well as a ban on a variety of disposable items offered in restaurants and hotels, according to the legislation commission of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai People’s Congress.

To reduce garbage, hotels will be banned from providing guests with disposable items in rooms unless specifically requested, and restaurants and food delivery businesses will also be banned from providing customers with disposable tableware such as chopsticks and spoons unless requested.

When they are requested, businesses should provide environmentally friendly ones.

The introduction of the rules will be in concert with the regulation of domestic garbage management.

Since residents are expected to sort their domestic garbage, they can now look up the categories on two government public WeChat accounts — “shanghaifabu” and “shlhsr.”

By entering the name of the garbage together with its material, such as “glass bottle” or “porcelain bowl,” a definitive answer will be provided as to which category the waste fits into, and therefore which bin it should be placed in. This function is available only in Chinese at the moment.

Hazardous waste has a red label, while recyclable waste is blue, household food waste or wet waste is brown, and residual waste or all other waste is black. Labels will be found on garbage containers.

Residents will be required to separate household food waste from other waste, and they are encouraged to turn in recyclable waste at recycling stations or put it in specific containers, while hazardous waste is strictly banned from being mixed with other waste.

Recycling stations can be found at public places such as residential complexes and shopping malls, and the government will put into trial some self-service tanks for recyclable waste.

By the end of this year, the government plans to build 8,000 recycling stations, 170 terminals and 10 district-level dump sites.

The government is also working on regulations for the recycling of large waste such as used furniture. Residents can take such waste to designated places for recycling or book a recycling service.

To make better use of household food waste, every ton of which could produce 0.3 tons of organic soil, the government is pushing for it to be used to improve soil in parks and forests.

Residents will also be able to report garbage transportation businesses that mix different garbage types when transporting it away from community terminals.

Companies that violate regulations will face fines and suspension of business licenses.

By the end of this year, the government aims to collect more than 5,520 tons of household food waste or wet garbage, more than 3,300 tons of recyclable waste and less than 21,000 tons of residual waste or garbage that’s not of the other three categories every day.

The new regulation will be further publicized through lectures, campaigns, volunteer activities and practical examples.