First week of Shanghai’s mandatory waste sorting changes residents’ lives
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It has been a week since Shanghai implemented mandatory waste sorting. During this period, people focused on the study of various waste classification standards and gradually developed a habit of waste sorting. Although one week is relatively short, people's lives have noticeably changed.

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(Photo: VCG)

The most obvious change is a big increase in the purchase of waste sorting cans and bags. The first step is to carry out the preliminary classification at home, which puts forward the demand of sorting trash cans and bags, whose sales in the last week of June rose 50 percent year-on-year, according to data from an online shopping platform.

People's consumption habits have also been affected. As one of the most popular services in China, take-out services have already been an important part of people's lives. Due to the cumbersome sorting and recycling of disposable tableware, some people have changed their previous ordering habits and began to choose non-tableware options. Disposable tableware use fell sharply during the past week, with orders of non-tableware up 149 percent from the same period in June 2018.

The other change is more visible. After waste sorting management was implemented, the environment has become better and streets have become cleaner, said Mrs. Zhang, a Shanghai resident.

New innovative measures in garbage sorting have been issued by different cities. Some of them have added credit punishment measures for illegal garbage disposal. Information about violations of regulations or obstacles to the performance of law enforcement departments will be included in the credit files of individuals. Other cities have distributed trash bags with company names and exclusive QR codes to facilitate traceability.

However challenges still remain. Coordinating with different regions to transport and dispose waste properly is one big concern. And in order to get the full participation in the waste sorting program and help them develop the habit, there is a long way to go. The most serious problem is the shortage of facilities and professional workers.

(Complied by Yu Lidong)