Wang Jingli

wangjingli0715@163.com

VOLUNTEERS across Shenzhen are poised to promote garbage sorting at venues including residential communities, campuses, and restaurants over the next 100 days in a bid to enhance civic literacy and promote an environmentally friendly lifestyle to citizens.

The 100-day volunteering campaign is a parallel activity of the second National Urban Household Waste Classification Promotion Week, which ended yesterday.

The campaign was officially launched during a ceremony held at the UpperHills shopping mall in Futian District yesterday.

Shenzhen is one of the birthplaces of volunteer service in the country and the city has roughly 3.81 million registered volunteers currently.

Taking Shenzhen, the “City of Volunteers,” as its starting point, the campaign calls on garbage classification volunteers nationwide to continue promoting garbage sorting in the hopes that more residents will develop the habit of sorting their garbage.

A series of activities will be held until Sept. 4 to educate citizens on how garbage sorting can be easily practiced in their daily lives, according to Liang Zhiyu, director of the Shenzhen Urban Life Waste Classification Management Center.

Yesterday, around 26 booths were set up on the aerial footbridge linking Bijia Hill Park and the UpperHills mall to promote knowledge related to garbage sorting.

Additionally, small activities were organized to involve citizens in practicing trash sorting.

Ye Huili, a volunteer from Pingshan District, observed that introducing garbage classification knowledge to more citizens is very meaningful. “Garbage sorting is important to resources utilization. I am very glad to be part of the initiative to guide people to correctly sort garbage,” said Ye.

In 2000, China piloted garbage sorting in eight cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen by putting assorted waste bins on the streets.

Shenzhen issued the country’s first guidance on household garbage sorting in 2017. In particular, normal household garbage was divided into four types, namely glass, metal, plastic, and paper waste; food waste; hazardous waste and other waste. Also, old clothes were given special bins for collection. Decorative plants for Chinese New Year, as well as furniture and other large waste could be handled by recycling companies with the help of property management companies.

On Sept. 1, 2020, the city started mandatory garbage sorting.

By the end of last August, Shenzhen’s garbage recycling rate reached 48.8%, according to the city’s urban management authority.