[Correspondent Diary] Beijing's War on Waste Separation

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Sunmi Park] It has been a little over a month since the mandatory waste sorting and disposal system was implemented in Beijing, the capital of China. How well is it being followed?

On the 21st, an apartment complex in Chaoyang District, Beijing, had removed all the shared trash bins that were placed on each floor. This is because the Beijing municipal government notified apartment complexes to designate specific waste collection zones in accordance with the waste sorting and disposal system. Communities across Beijing are preparing trash bins categorized into four types?food waste, recyclables, hazardous waste, and others?based on the revised Household Waste Management Regulations for the designated zones. For the time being, management staff will monitor and inspect whether the sorting and collection are properly carried out.

Although it has been over a month since the waste sorting and disposal system was implemented, confusion still persists in many residential areas. Even if residents sort their waste at home according to the city government's policy, the shared trash bins where household waste is collected often lack a proper sorting system, resulting in all waste being mixed together. Until just before the designated waste collection zones were established, the shared trash bins installed on each floor of this apartment complex were only one per floor, making household waste sorting virtually meaningless.

Other residential complexes face similar situations. A housewife, Ms. Wang, said, "Even if I sort the waste and put it into several baskets to take outside, there is nowhere to dispose of it separately. In the end, all the waste is mixed together. Since it is still in the early stages of implementation, it seems there is a long way to go before it is fully established."

As the Chinese government emphasizes the importance of environmental protection and announces plans to strengthen household waste sorting and processing, waste sorting has become a major public concern in China since last year. Following Shanghai, Beijing has been implementing the waste sorting and disposal system since last month, with plans to gradually expand it. Premier Li Keqiang emphasized in last month's Two Sessions government work report that China will take measures for effective environmental protection, stating, "We prioritize pollution control according to the law. We will accelerate the construction of waste treatment facilities and continue to promote the household waste sorting and disposal system."

Due to COVID-19, elementary schools conducting online classes are even holding special weekend video class meetings to educate students on how to sort waste and the necessity of waste sorting. On e-commerce platforms, trash bins distinguished by four colors are selling like hotcakes. Posters with detailed pictorial explanations on how to sort waste have become a common sight throughout the streets.

According to Xinhua News Agency, after Beijing began waste sorting last month, it conducted surprise inspections of 64,500 residential complexes, restaurants, hotels, shopping malls, and supermarkets, revealing that 9,900 locations failed to comply with waste sorting regulations. Most violations involved the absence of designated sorting bins and mixed transportation of waste.

Sun Xinjun, Director of the Beijing Municipal Urban Management Commission, said, "We need to take more specific measures so that citizens can strengthen their awareness of (waste sorting and disposal) and take the initiative."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.