Trash sorting in Shanghai 'a success', mayor says

Domestic trash sorting has continued to be a hot topic at the ongoing annual meeting of the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Shanghai Committee, the city's legislative body and political advisory committee.

While delivering the report on the work of the government at the congress, Shanghai Mayor Ying Yong said that the city's trash sorting program, which was introduced in July, has been "a success", noting that 90 percent of the city's residential quarters had achieved the stipulated standards by the end of last year.

Compared with 2018, the average amount of recyclables collected daily in 2019 increased by 431.8 percent. The amount of kitchen waste and hazardous waste collected also grew by 88.8 percent and 504.1 percent respectively.

The increase in collection of these types of waste, which can either be recycled or processed for further utilization, has resulted in a significant reduction in the city's residual waste, most of which goes to landfills.

"In the past, 41.4 percent of the trash in the city was buried in landfills, and with the support of residents' garbage classification actions, this ratio has been reduced to 20 percent," Ying said. "I give a sincere salute and a big thumbs up to you, the people of Shanghai."

Ying said that the government will strive to further improve the trash sorting and recycling system. Many of the city's legislators and members of the advisory body proposed ideas to aid this cause during the meeting.