A PROGRAM called “environmental protection bank” initiated by Shenzhen Cuizhu Foreign Language Experimental School for garbage sorting among students has been promoted in 41 schools across the city, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported Thursday.

The bank was set up by schools to collect four categories of recyclable items: paper; textiles; milk boxes; and glass, metal and plastic. Students are then rewarded with points based on the amount of recyclables they have placed in the bank.

“We serve students milk during break. Each day the school produces more than 2,000 used milk boxes. It would be a pity to throw them away. So we built sinks to encourage students to wash the boxes and let them dry for recycling,” said Huang Wen, a teacher with Shenzhen Cuizhu Foreign Language Experimental School.

Nearly a ton of used milk boxes can be collected in one semester, according to Huang.

The new concept for depositing garbage into a “bank” was first promoted by Xiong Siqi, a Grade 6 student from the school in the first half of June. “Technology makes garbage sorting convenient and interesting,” Xiong said. “We do it with great joy,” she added.

As of Sept. 4, the 41 “banks” had collected 70,198 milk boxes, 15,093 cans and 122.67 kilograms of textiles. More than 40,000 students opened an “account” in the bank.

Lianhua Primary School in Futian District has also been sorting garbage since 2013, being part of the first batch of schools in Shenzhen to join in the practice.

They built an environmental protection team to urge students, teachers, cleaners and security guards to join in garbage sorting.

In addition, the two schools set up kitchen garbage bins and encourage students not to waste food.

(Wang Jingli)