Three months ago, Beijing began implementing a mandatory rubbish sorting system which has seen positive results so far.
The daily volume of household kitchen waste in July stood at 1,764 tonnes, 470% higher than the daily average in late April. The total waste which was not categorised as kitchen, recyclable and hazardous (i.e. non-recyclable waste) dropped 26% year on year to 19,960 tonnes in July.
In July 2019, Shanghai trialled China’s first recycling system in households which saw 90% of housing estates compliant with the regulations. Beijing followed in April with a three-month law enforcement campaign. The garbage sorting required people to classify household waste into four categories: kitchen, recyclable, hazardous and other waste.
Aside from domestic waste, new restrictions were also introduced for the hospitality industry. Online delivery services and restaurants were forbidden from providing disposable tableware such as bamboo chopsticks, plastic spoons, knives and forks. Hotels were also restricted from providing disposable items such as toothbrushes, combs, bath wipes, nail files and shoe wipes.
