THE city is starting this month to charge 0.59 yuan (US$0.09) for each cubic meter of sewage water and household waste Shenzhen households discharge, according to the city’s development and reform commission.

This is the first time the city has unified the charging standard for household garbage and sewage water treatment.

The algorithm is based on previous surveys that suggested the more people in a household, or an organization, the more sewage water and garbage produced by the family or group.

Shenzhen has been charging fees for household garbage treatment since 2007. The total amount collected over the past decade amounted to about 5.2 billion yuan.

Previously, households in different regions of the city were charged at different rates.

According to the former standard, every household in Luohu, Futian, Nanshan and Yantian districts were charged 13.5 yuan per month, while residents outside these districts were charged 0.59 yuan per cubic meter of sewage water discharged. The latter rate has been adopted citywide this month.

Over the past 10 years, work units and companies in Shenzhen were charged 0.27 yuan for every cubic meter of discharged sewage water. These organizations will now be subject to the unified charging standard.

Previously, several or even dozens of households living in one building in some urban villages in Luohu, Futian and Nanshan districts would use the same water meter, meaning that altogether the households would only have to pay 13.5 yuan per month.

It has been calculated that if a household consumes less than 25 cubic meters per month, then they will be charged a smaller garbage treatment fee than before, while those that consume more than 25 cubic meters will need to pay more than was required by the previous standard.

(Zhang Qian)