PEOPLE in Shanghai can be fined up to 200 yuan (US$29) from July 1 if they fail to sort garbage three times within 30 days, the city’s urban management and law enforcement authorities said Wednesday.

Violators of the city’s first domestic garbage regulations will be ordered to fix the problem first, or face a fine of between 50 yuan and 200 yuan.

A supporting notice on the regulations has been released by the Shanghai Urban Management and Law Enforcement Bureau, with details explained on how to define failure to rectify.

Four circumstances are listed as the basis for the fine.

These include refusing or obstructing the investigation and evidence-taking of officials at the scene, refusing to sign the rectification notice issued by urban management and law enforcement authorities, refusing to fix the problem at the scene and being spotted more than three times with irregularities within 30 days.

The rectification should be completed within 10 days.

Foreign tourists and expats will also be fined for irregularities, officials said.

The amount of the fine is based on the number of irregularities and results, according to the bureau.

Individuals found mixing wet trash (household food waste) with recyclable or dry trash (residual waste including other trash except recyclable, hazardous and household food refuse) will be fined between 50 yuan and 100 yuan if they are caught for the first time and refuse to rectify.

For repeated offenses, violators will be fined between 100 yuan and 200 yuan if they refuse to make improvement.

First-time violators mixing hazardous waste with the other three types of trash will be fined between 50 and 150 yuan if they refuse to rectify it.

The fine will be lifted to between 150 yuan and 200 yuan if they are spotted for the second or more times and refuse to make improvement.

If an individual is found dropping trash at random and fixes the problem after education, but makes the same mistake again, it can not be deemed as a successful rectification, officials with the bureau said.

The aim is to tackle repeated mistakes and promote residents to form good habits.

Evidences of irregularities include written records at the scene, statements, surveillance camera footage, photos and witnesses, officials said.

Tip-offs are also included, according to the bureau.

Education and persuasion will be the main initial measures, when individuals and enterprises will be given a chance to rectify.

Enterprises can be fined up to 500 yuan for failure to have correct trash bins in place, and up to 1,000 yuan for failure to sort waste.

From July 1, the fines will be raised to between 5,000 yuan and 50,000 yuan.

The fine will also be based on the number of irregularities and circumstances.

Enterprises caught for the second time or more mixing hazardous waste with the other three types of trash can be fined between 30,000 yuan and 50,000 if they refuse to rectify it.

The city’s law enforcement and urban management authorities can revoke domestic garbage operation and service licences if collection or transportation enterprises fail to use exclusive vehicles, fail to mark the types of domestic garbage clearly, or fail to achieve airtight transportation or install online monitoring systems.

They will face the same punishment for mixed collection or transportation of already sorted garbage or mixing hazardous waste, industrial solid waste or construction garbage with domestic garbage with serous results caused, the notice states.

Treatment companies will have licences revoked for failure to handle domestic garbage based on sorting requirements with serious results caused.

(Shanghai Daily)