New WeChat mini-program helps reduce rubbish

A mini-program on WeChat has changed people's lives at West Lake, as they can now make appointments to sell recyclable glass bottles and foam packing cases.

For a long time, restaurants and hotels around the lake have been plagued by an excess of recyclable garbage. Since some of them are located in the hilly area of western Hangzhou, collectors are not willing to retrieve the bottles and boxes by driving a long distance.

Due to the low value of some recyclables and the high cost of recycling, the proportion of real recycled trash is still relatively low in the market.

It is an eyesore in urban development and a point of difficulty regarding renewable resources while Hangzhou continues pushing garbage sorting regulations.

In efforts to solve the problem, the West Lake Scenic Area Committee has cooperated with XHHJ Group to develop the Jingling Recycle mini-program. Now, people can make an appointment on the platform, and the next day collectors will come to pick up the recyclable materials.

"If I sell recyclables to a garbage processing company, I can make a few bucks. Previously, no collectors came to take them away," said Zhang Yan, who operates a restaurant at Longjing Road. "Now, the piles of garbage can be sold through the mini-program."

In addition to foam and glass, the mini-program also helps deal with cans, plastic bottles, cardboard, newspapers, scrap iron and other low-value recyclables. People can earn a small amount of money by selling them.

The mini-program can monitor all aspects of the recycling process on the cloud platform, uploading and updating collection and transportation data in real time and allocating the garbage to processing companies.

Companies with a large number of recyclables from daily operations can sign an agreement with XHHJ Group and schedule a transportation route. Workers will come to collect the material at a specified time.