This Smart Recycling App Helps You Sort Your Trash

Original Tom Arnstein theBeijinger

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Amid the coronavirus pandemic and the various knock-on effects it has had on Beijing's municipal management, the city's drive to install stricter recycling measures has understandably slowed in the past few months. However, signs of the measures are starting to trickle back into the public domain, with the news last week that Haidian District would be the first to install trash sorting rules starting May 1.

Once rolled out, not only will Beijing's districts have their own idiosyncratic recycling protocols, it will be up to households to divide their trash into four categories (or risk incurring a fine):

Kitchen waste: Perishable garbage generated in the household, such as organic refuse, meat and bones, and leftovers, etc.
Recyclables: Items that are no longer usable but can be reused after processing after recycling, such as waste paper, plastics, glass, metal, electronic waste, fabrics, etc.
Hazardous waste: Toxic and hazardous household substances, such as batteries, lightbulbs, paint and solvents, sanitary products, disinfectants, medicines, and camera film, etc.
Other waste: Household garbage that does not easily fall into the three categories above or is difficult to identify.

In addition, large waste products such as furniture and household appliances should be deposited at a designated drop-off location. Construction waste generated during renovations etc. should also be separated and deposited at an area to be specified by the local government, with the individual to bear any processing costs.

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If that all sounds overwhelming, then you'll be happy to hear that a few enterprising developers have already jumped on the opportunity to make our lives that little bit easier. One such mini-program is Beijing Trash Classification Reference (WeChat ID: 北京市垃圾分类宝典) which tells you how to correctly dispose of any item that you query. While lacking an English option, the app is easy enough to navigate for non-Chinese speakers thanks to its reliance on icons.

As well as options to search by item name and voice search, the most useful function for foreigners is the nifty option to search by picture. Simply click 识别照片 and take a picture of the item you want to recycle. The program should recognize it and provide the appropriate classification.

Yup, it's a glass – good for recycling

If nothing else, the app makes for a fun, low-rent Chinese dictionary that you can point at objects and retrieve the Chinese characters for. Go on, test yourself.