Sorting Out the Trash

In 2000, China initiated its pilot trash sorting program in eight cities. To date, however, a majority of Chinese cities have not instituted a comprehensive trash sorting system targeting either wet or dry household garbage. Starting from 2018, Shanghai authorities released specific plans to sort household waste and required work-spaces, including government and enterprises, to strictly sort their waste. What’s more, all districts in Shanghai will have trash sorting programs by 2020 to cut daily dry waste output from 21,400 tons to 18,100 tons while increasing the output of wet waste in order to produce fertilizer. According to a recent survey conducted by Fudan University, however, less than one-fourth of Shanghai residents will voluntarily participate in trash sorting due to the lack of clear waste classification standards and weak public awareness.