By Wang Hai

“What kind of garbage are you throwing away?”

So goes a special phrase heard by most Shanghai residents from volunteers at household waste disposal sites across the city when they toss away trash. Amusingly, the greeting sounds similar to “What kind of garbage are you?” in the Shanghai dialect. Bizarre as it may seem, this conversation is likely to become a nationwide dialogue soon as China rigorously endeavors to popularize mandatory separation of garbage in up to 46 cities across the country. The number of cities, according to many advocates, is set to surge as garbage sorting becomes a long-term environmental undertaking practiced across the Chinese mainland. Efforts in the eastern Chinese metropolis of Shanghai are just the start.

Most Severe Policy

According to the new regulations which came into effect July 1, residents of Shanghai, who number more than 23 million, must arrange their garbage according to the officially published sorting method. They are also required to throw away garbage at a fixed time and place with the assistance of governmentrecruited volunteers. Those who fail to sort their garbage properly now face a fine of 200 yuan (about US$29). Businesses, big or small, can be fined up to 50,000 yuan (more than US$7,200) if they do not effectively manage their waste.

Waste sorting and recycling bins at Lujiazui, a mega financial district of Shanghai.

Many residents of Shanghai, as well as those closely watching Shanghai's reaction to the policy, immediately expressed dissatisfaction and skepticism towards the rigid new rules. However, one can hardly dismiss such unsupportive feedback, as no Chinese city has ever before adopted any effective policy when it comes to garbage sorting, despite numerous attempts.

Compared to neighboring countries like Japan and South Korea, implementation of civic garbage sorting policies in China has been woefully ineffective. Very few cities or towns have developed systematic solutions for garbage sorting among ordinary households, and ordinary residents have failed to develop a sense of responsibility when it comes to garbage separation. But this is far from the first time anyone has tried. China launched a tentative nationwide policy on garbage sorting and waste recycling almost two decades ago with an initiative in the early 2000s after numerous localized attempts carried out by various levels of government and provinces dating back to the 1950s.

Why have the previous attempts of the Chinese government been so ineffective? Hard answers are seldom easy. With a fast-growing population vastly exceeding the capacity of its natural and societal resources, it would be quixotic for China to simply follow the example of Japan, South Korea or developed countries in the West. Such thinking may partially explain the indignant attitude of some Chinese towards the recent move in the garbage revolution. At the same time, the Chinese government, under tremendous pressure, is clearly taking the issue very seriously this time.

And why not? China is now in the sixth year of its “War on Pollution,” which was designed not only to clean up its skies, soil and water but also to comprehensively utilize resources including waste. It would be grossly negligent to dismiss China's progress during the past few years, since environmental improvement here is self-evident—perhaps this is where the discussion of garbage-related topics echoes.

A Pioneer in Need

A simple survey of the embargo on solid waste imports implemented last year can provide a better understanding of the issue. Starting January 1, 2018, China banned imports of up to 24 kinds of solid waste including plastics, waste paper and textile materials. China has appeared on the list of the world's largest importers of garbage for decades, and its aggressive action overtly signals its ambition to solve the problems brought by its somewhat morbid reliance on useful resources extracted from imported waste.

Shanghai has recruited some 30,000 volunteers to help residents sort garbage.

Imported waste brought more than money. Without advanced techniques for garbage sorting, resource recycling and waste incineration, China suffered torturous environmental damage after importing an egregious amount of foreign garbage. Furthermore, the influence of importing solid waste coupled with the many other types of pollution that have accompanied China's decade of rapid GDP development has made the country the perfect scapegoat for environmental issues in Western media narratives. Hence, pushback notwithstanding, China's determination to ban waste imports appears surprisingly firm.

With solid waste imports now banned, China is looking for ways to minimize householdgenerated garbage. Yet requiring all residents to sort garbage at home doesn't seem like the best strategy at first glance—much less an economicallyfeasible solution per se. In fact, according to Japan's experience, meticulous garbage separation actually makes transportation take more time and energy. Why has China chosen this avenue?

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The reasons can be found in the dominant principles of China's refuse disposal: reduce total local waste, convert solid waste into reusable resources and maintain bio-safety standards. In the past, the garbage-disposal habits of most Chinese people seemed heavily polluting and haphazard. Such misguided habits make these recent undertakings a daunting challenge for China's waste treatment industry, which resulted in a voracious demand for workers, lower efficiency and less secured bio-safety maintenance when it comes to dealing with mountains of randomly mixed garbage. Endeavors to convince all of society to participate in waste treatment undertakings have to be encouraging even if the process during its teething phase seems convoluted.

However, not everyone has been caught off guard by the new policy. Astute Chinese businessmen have long been known for their acumen and outstanding marketing savvy. Specially designed garbage cans and bags quickly appeared in ads on Chinese social media, and custom-designed smartphone applications have been developed to help users sort their garbage properly. Some even offer services in which experts visit people's homes to assist with waste sorting. Schools have been more receptive to the new policy. According to municipal education commissions in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai, environmental protection and waste separation education has already been integrated into pre-school education to cultivate future civic awareness.

For Shanghai residents suffering strain of scrutiny over every item they throw away, looking to the distant future does little to abate today's challenges. But as the next 45 Chinese cities closely watch the stoic pioneers and the world notices China's strongest-ever assault on garbage issues—with reasonable skepticism from the domestic public and global observers alike—Shanghai will continue to carry the torch as it has in so many other realms.