Greenery authorities enlist public to promote garbage sorting

Shanghai's greenery authorities will recruit garbage sorting inspectors from the public to promote new waste management policies, an official said on Friday.

“The service term of the inspectors will be two years, and their duties will include promoting the city’s regulations and policies of garbage sorting, inspecting domestic garbage sorting, and reporting problems and irregularities to authorities,” said Deng Jianping, director of the Shanghai Greenery and Public Sanitation Bureau.

Anyone who cares about the environment is eligible for application with district and city greenery authorities, and the selection will run from Saturday through May 19, said Deng.

The inspector appointments are part of 18 supporting measures to be implemented prior to July 1, when Shanghai’s first domestic garbage management regulations will take effect.

To reduce garbage, the regulations prohibit hotels from providing customers with disposable items in rooms when not specifically requested, and restaurants and food delivery businesses will also be banned from providing customers with disposable chopsticks and spoons unless requested.

The new regulations are not a total ban, as consumers can still obtain free disposable items upon request, said Deng.

City authorities have also stepped up inspections to crack down on mixed transportation and mixed handling of already sorted garbage, he said.

Violators can face fines of up to 500,000 yuan (US$74,618). In serious cases, transport companies will have their domestic garbage service licenses revoked, according to Deng.

Shanghai has more than 700 vehicles transporting wet garbage and over 3,000 for dry wastes, which can satisfy current demand, he said.

The city produces 25,000 tons of domestic garbage daily, according to the bureau.

From July 1, individuals will be fined up to 200 yuan for failure to sort garbage.