Search
  • Home
  • Media center
    • News
    • Biz updates
    • Life
    • Specials
    • Videos
    • Photos
  • Government
    • News release
    • Personnel changes
    • Annual reports
    • Officials
    • Bureaus
  • Living
    • Life
    • Dining
    • Shopping
    • Entertainment
    • Arts
      • Craftworks
      • Theater performances
      • Museums
      • Galleries
      • Art zones
    • Transportation
    • Services
    • FAQ
  • Doing business
    • Biz updates
    • Introduction
    • Planning
    • Procedures
    • Policies
    • Industries
    • Industrial parks
    • Enterprises
  • Visiting
    • Travel log
    • Attractions
      • Historical
      • Parks
      • Religious
      • Museums
      • Nature
      • Landmarks
    • Itineraries
    • Maps
    • Transportation
    • Hotels
    • Dining
  • Study
    • Student stories
    • Overview
    • Universities
    • Scholarships
    • Services
    • Learning Chinese
    • Testing
  • About
    • Profiles
    • Maps
    • Districts
    • Special areas
    • Festivals and events
    • History
  • Events
    • Dates
    • Categories
  • Forum
 
Home / News

Why, after 16 years, is it still so difficult to sort garbage?

Updated: 2016-11-08 (China Daily)
  • printer
  • mail

Why, after 16 years, is it still so difficult to sort garbage?

Chinese garbage collectors deliver residential waste to a new recycling trash depot, which proudly encourages residents to recycle, in Beijing on February 9, 2014. [Photo/IC]

THE BEIJING MUNICIPAL COMMISSION OF CITY MANAGEMENT recently said that some communities will pioneer garbage sorting, with the household waste being collected at different times of the day according to the type of trash it is. However, as Beijing Youth Daily points out, Beijing has been listed as a pioneer city for garbage sorting for 16 years and little progress has been made:

Some communities complain that their residents know little about how to sort garbage. If that's true, it is really sad news because Beijing was listed as one of eight pioneering cities for garbage sorting in 2000. Why is it so difficult for residents to sort garbage 16 years after it became a policy?

It is unfair to say the government has done nothing. On the contrary, the municipal governments of the eight cities have invested heavily in improving the hardware. In Beijing, Shanghai, and Nanjing, as well as the other five pioneer cities, garbage bins for sorting purposes can be seen in communities. However, people simply put their garbage in them without sorting it.

There are two main problems. First, the municipal governments have not done enough to educate people about how to sort their garbage and what kind of waste should be put into which garbage bin. People have been asked to sort garbage, but nobody has actually shown them how to sort it or explained why it is important for them to do so.

Second, the waste management authorities do not take the matter seriously, either. Even when households do sort their garbage, when the trash trucks come the garbage is simply mixed together and transported away.

Further, the garbage processing industrial chain is far from complete. Most, if not all, of the garbage collected from communities will be burnt or buried, instead of being recycled.

So the solution lies in raising residents' awareness of the importance of garbage sorting, more strictly ensuring the garbage collectors keep the garbage sorted, and encouraging more people to join the recycling industry. Only with comprehensive measures will garbage sorting become a success.

News:
  • Peking Opera thriving in Hawaii
  • Americans go 'Hao' over Jingju
  • Beijing holds Feast of Golf
  • Li Lei brings his visual symphony to Beijing
  • A better Beijing in the Year of the Rooster?
  • 刷脸进站(shuāliǎn jìn zhàn): 'Face ticket' at train stations
Specials:
Tsinghua Holdings Co. Ltd launched “Top 10 Talents” in response to the 13th Five Year Plan goal of building Beijing into a national Technology & Innovation Center with a creative spirit and innovative cultural atmosphere.
Top 10 Talents of Tsinghua Holdings read more
Videos:
Easy Talk: Advocating environment protection through storytelling read more

Turn the page and discover Beijing in all its eclectic delights.

Explore the charm of the city in our promo videos

    • Contact
    • Site Map
    • Disclaimer
Copyright © 2011 China Daily All Rights Reserved Sponsored by Beijing Municipal Government Powered by China Daily              京ICP备10023870号-9