Saturday Will Be Resource-Recycling Day in Shenzhen
8/04/2015
Image: Shenzhen Daily
Shenzhen
Shenzhen is setting every Saturday as resource-recycling day and is canceling the classification of kitchen waste as new regulations for garbage classification come into force Aug. 1, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported Thursday.
Yang Lei, the deputy director of the city’s urban management bureau, said the amount of household garbage in Shenzhen reached 5.4 million tons last year, with a yearly growth rate of 6 percent for the last decade.
Yang said the new rules would classify household garbage into three kinds, down from the current four since kitchen waste would no longer have its own category.
He added it would be better to have specific treatments for kitchen refuse, but the current facility’s capacity failed to meet the demand of kitchen waste disposal. “It would hurt people’s enthusiasm if the follow-up work was to lag behind,” Yang said.
The regulations also specify the responsibilities of property management companies in setting up classification containers for garbage and providing assistance for residents in refuse collection.
“Some property management companies already introduced garbage sorting in its residential areas years ago, and we will cooperate with the city’s housing and construction department and the association of property management companies to better enforce the rules,” Yang added.
Household waste in residential areas will be collected in certain places at regular times, which will improve the efficiency of garbage collection and transportation, according to the regulations.
The government will also set every Saturday as resource-recycling day to make good use of reusable waste.
As for large garbage such as furniture, which takes up 3 percent of household garbage in Shenzhen, the bureau will set up facilities to smash them into smaller pieces for more convenient transport and incineration.
New policies will be introduced to collect harmful garbage such as batteries and fluorescent lights, which will be sent to appointed companies for disposal.
Residents will not be immediately slapped with penalties after the regulations come into force. Yang said residents could take their time to get familiar with the rules and change their habits gradually.
He also encouraged residents to drain kitchen waste before throwing it away, which would help simplify and lower the cost of kitchen waste disposal.
