When your pen is1the battery in your toy runs out, or you have some leftover food, what do you do with these things? You will probably throw them all into a2. But actually, all of the rubbish need to be sorted (分类) separately.
Rubbish sorting is a big issue worldwide. In recent years, some Chinese3have been working hard on it.
Shanghai has worked with Alipay to create a "green account (账户)" service. Account holders get4by correctly sorting their rubbish. Through the Alipay app, they can exchange the points for milk, phone cards and other5. The city is asking people to sort their rubbish into6groups: wet, recyclable, harmful and dry. Wet waste is also known as household waste. "They are things you don't want but that pigs can eat," Guangzhou Daily7. Paper, metal, glass and other things that can be reused are recyclable waste. Harmful waste includes things like medicine, batteries and fluorescent bulbs. Finally, any waste that's not wet, recyclable or harmful will go in the "8waste" bin.
Many other Chinese cities are also using this method to sort their rubbish. For example, Shenzhen has been sorting its rubbish into groups since 2012. Students there also receive waste-sorting guidebooks that they must9.
China is improving its waste-sorting efforts. There is still a long way to go. If you don't sort your rubbish, all of it will go to a landfill (垃圾填埋场) and be buried together. These landfills can take up large areas of10that could have been used for planting trees or crops. The electronic waste you throw away, such as batteries, can pollute the soil and groundwater.
