A boy disposes of garbage in the Bund, a landmark in Shanghai, on June 30. (Photo: CFP)

Six cities in China have reportedly joined Shanghai in implementing the country's strictest ever garbage sorting regulations. In addition to promoting garbage sorting education among citizens, punitive measures will also be introduced in these cities, including fines and lowering of credit ratings. 

Fuzhou in Fujian Province, Wenzhou and Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province, Wuhu in Anhui Province, Wuxi in Jiangsu Province and Xi'an in Shaanxi Province will begin enforcing garbage sorting regulations after Shanghai did so on July 1, a news website, jwview.com reported on Thursday. 

Hangzhou will increase subsidies to residents who carry out garbage classification from 30 yuan ($4.20) per household each year to 180 yuan per household. 

The city also began enforcing a new regulation on the management of garbage sorting that was announced on August 15, which stipulates that violators would have their credit rating lowered in accordance with relevant regulations,jwview.com reported. 

Fuzhou's municipal Standing Committee of the People's Congress passed a regulation on garbage sorting on August 30, which is expected to be enacted after approval from the provincial Standing Committee of the People's Congress. 

The regulation said that organizations or institutions that fail to implement garbage sorting will be required to rectify their actions within a certain period. Those that fail to do so will be fined between 10,000 yuan and 50,000 yuan. Individuals who violate the rules will be fined between 50 yuan and 200 yuan. 

Shanghai authorities discovered 20 illegal garbage sorting cases and required 623 places to carry out rectification on July 1, the first day the regulation went into force, local media eastday.com reported.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development released a notice in June saying that cities above prefecture-level in China should begin garbage sorting work in 2019.