Shanghai claims success in garbage-sorting efforts
A resident at the carbon sink science pavilion in Xuhui District
A resident cycles at the pavilion.
After four years, Shanghai's garbage classification policies are enabling smart, low-carbon lifestyles.
Shanghai's trash-sorting campaign has improved over the previous four years.
The Shanghai Greenery and Public Sanitation Bureau said that over 95 percent of residential complexes in the city met trash-sorting standards at the end of last year.
On Thursday, the bureau said that the city sorted 8,843 tons of wet trash daily in the first five months of this year, up from 6,950 tons in June 2019, before the laws took effect.
Between January and May, 16,915 tons of dry trash were collected daily, down from 19,370 tons in June 2019.
In the past five months, 7,391 tons of recyclable waste and 1.76 tons of hazardous waste were sorted daily, up from 4,000 tons and 265kg in June 2019.
The pavilion
A smart approach on trash sorting
Since 2019, trash disposal spots at 21,000 residential complexes have been upgraded and renovated, and more than 1,000 garbage containers collecting recyclable trash have been installed at 233 business circles, transport hubs, parks and tourist attractions.
Till the end of May, the city had 27,600 trash sorting volunteer programs helped by 713,800 volunteers.
Bureau officials said the city will continuously upgrade disposal spots at residential complexes with hand washing, rain shelters, and lighting facilities and aggressively crack down on complaints like odor and trash bin spillover at non-designated disposal times.
Efforts are being made to improve the disposal spots in residential communities and create a tidy environment.
On Tianshan Road in Changning District, artificial intelligence and big data algorithm technologies monitor trash disposal irregularities in real-time and automatically alert property management staff and authorities.
Surveillance cameras monitor violators.
A Hongkou residential complex holds engaging activities to promote rubbish sorting awareness.
Surveillance cameras and a 24-hour warning system have been installed in a wet market, where random disposal acts were common.
The system sends law enforcement personnel photos, times, and locations of people dumping waste in non-designated areas.
"The Tianshan Road Subdistrict has 53 residential complexes, and we have installed AI surveillance cameras covering garbage disposal spots at all of them," said Wu Guangyu, head of the urban operation center.
"The system will alert staff such as property management companies and neighborhood committees, and authorities will handle the incident once they are identified, significantly improving efficiency and accuracy," Wu said.
The system is also used for trash collection and transportation.
Three old trash disposal sites in the Lingxin residential complex on Guangzhong Road in Hongkou District were rebuilt into smart ones.
"Eco-friendly materials were applied, and there are non-contact disposal, automatic spray, deodorization, and ultraviolet sterilization facilities," said Guo Nan, deputy director of the Guangzhong Road subdistrict office.
"Volunteers are alerted when the bin is close to spilling waste."
To encourage residents to sort their waste, the Lingyun subdistrict in Xuhui District has set up a carbon sink scientific popularization pavilion.
A smart disposal spot in Hongkou
