THE sales volume of domestic trash cans totaled 3 million on e-commerce portal Taobao in the past month — before Shanghai’s regulations on household garbage sorting and recycling took effect yesterday.

The sales surge hit its peak from June 24 through 30, when the sales of domestic trash cans increased 50 percent year on year, the e-commerce platform announced yesterday.

“Online shops that delivered products from within Shanghai were the most sought after, of which the sales volume was triple that of the same period last year. It was probably because Shanghai residents aimed to receive the products before the regulations took effect,” a news release from Taobao read.

More than 25,000 units of a trash can that collects wet and dry garbage separately were sold on a Taobao store that sells imported household equipment from Japan in June. Owing to high demand, the store allowed only one unit per shopper ID.

Teaching tools on the subject of garbage sorting were also popular in the past month. Searches made by consumers for small plastic trash cans mimicking the appearance of the four categories of trash cans jumped more than 17 times compared to the previous month.

Aiming for more efficient garbage disposal, Shanghai started to officially implement its regulation on domestic waste management yesterday, making garbage sorting compulsory. Individuals and units shall shoulder responsibilities to classify garbage according to the four waste categories: recyclable, hazardous, wet and dry.

(China Daily)