The new garbage sorting regulation has taken effect in Shanghai starting July 1. Many citizens are still confused about the classification of the four different types of trash. Thankfully, authorities have released an official guideline to clarify the new rules.
The guideline, published by the Shanghai Greenery and Public Sanitation Bureau, provides a rather clear definition on the four kinds of waste: recyclable waste, hazardous(有害的) waste, household food waste and residual(剩余的) waste.
Hazardous waste, as the name suggests, includes assorted poisonous materials like used batteries, lightbulbs, out-of-date medicines, paint and pesticides.
Household food waste-which is translated to "wet trash" in Chinese-refers to food Leftovers, rotten food, pet food, fruit peels, remains of TCM herbs(中药) and flowers.
Paper, plastic, glass, metal and textiles(纺织品) are counted as recyclable waste.
The definition of residual waste is a little confusing. Anything that is not listed above belongs in this category.
As specific as the new guideline is, residents still have a hard time sorting trash correctly and are finding it challenging to memorize them all. For instance, both plastic bottles and bubble tea or coffee cups are plastic materials. However, the former falls to the category of recyclable waste and the latter belongs to residual waste. To save the hassle, some netizens have come up with their own ways to sort trash.
"We should do this from a pig's angle," commented one netizen. "Those edible(可食用的) for pigs are household food waste. Those even pigs don't want to eat are residual waste. If a pig consumes something and dies of it, then something must be hazardous waste. Those which can be sold and the money we gain can be used to purchase pigs are recyclable waste. "The new regulation has gone into effect since July I. Those who do not sort their trash properly will be fined RMB200.
