Is soft plastic recyclable? Do I
throw my kitchen waste out with a bag or loose? Where does toilet paper
go? If you’ve puzzled over any of these questions recently, you aren’t
alone.
Since May 1, Beijing households have
been required to sort their household waste into four different
categories: Recyclables, Kitchen waste, Other waste, and Hazardous
waste, and many communities have reported shiny new color-coded bins
installed in their courtyards. Yet confusion still abounds and many
people are unsure about exactly how to dispose of their household
waste.
To get some clarity on the new system, and advice for families on how to manage it at home, I talked to Markus Dicke, the founder of German Biowaste,
the first company in China to design and build biological mechanical
waste treatment plants on a commercial scale. You might describe German
Biowaste as an overnight success eleven years in the making. Dicke
founded his company in Beijing in 2009, but business has recently taken
off with the new government waste treatment policies, as demand for
ecological treatment of biowaste has never been higher. Dicke is also an
environmentalist and uniquely well-positioned to shed some light on
this topic.
Why is China doing this all of a sudden?
Waste management is fundamentally an
environmental issue. Better waste management means fewer greenhouse
gasses, less reliance on fossil fuels, and less pollution. Furthermore,
wet waste like food scraps makes up almost 60% of China’s waste but is
ill-suited to either landfill (where the nutrients from the food scraps
are totally lost) and incinerators (wet waste doesn’t burn well, and
again, all the nutrients are lost). By separating the different kinds of
waste at the source, China can create a cleaner, more energy-efficient
waste management system, and that benefits everyone.“The purpose is to
generate energy from waste, or to treat it so that it’s not harming the
environment” as Dicke says. “With this technology, we can generate 2-3
times more energy from every tonne of waste compared to landfill or
incineration.”
I’m reading a lot of contradictory information, what are the official regulations?
This infographic– entirely in English – provided by the Beijing Municipal Government details how to sort trash correctly.
Scan QR Code for infograph
How should I organize my bins at home?
Many families have found success with this bin on Taobao, which automatically separates into 3 categories. Of
course, you don’t need to buy a special bin, but it is recommended to
have clearly designated containers for the different types of trash
(kitchen, recyclable, hazardous, and other.)
Should we put everything in garbage bags?
For ‘other’ waste, yes. For kitchen
waste and recyclables, Dicke says it’s best to dispose of them loose.
Ideally, you would have a reusable container for your waste which you
can empty out into the bin and take back to the apartment. If this is
not practical for you, he suggests collecting the waste in plastic bags,
but instead of throwing them into the bin whole, just empty the items
out, then discard the plastic bag into the ‘other’ waste’ bin.
How are other parents managing waste sorting with children?
Dicke describes children as “waste
ambassadors” as once they have been educated, they are very effective at
pointing out mistakes and educating the adults around them. (Think
“Papa, why are you putting batteries in the recycling bin? That’s not
right!”).
However, even adults can find it
tricky to sort waste correctly, so one good strategy is to designate an
‘I don’t know’ box. Whenever your child is unsure where to put an
object, they put it here so you can review them together later.
If they are old enough, kids could
also use the Beijing Trash Classification Reference (WeChat ID:
北京市垃圾分类宝典), a fun app that tells you how to dispose of any time you
scan. For more info on that, click here.
How can I get our ayi on board with the new system?
Many Western countries have been separating waste for decades now, but the same is not true for China. Therefore, your ayi may not be familiar with the system or the reasons behind doing it. If you sense that your ayi
is unsure, explain that recycling an important value for your family
and not just a weirdly elaborate game designed to make her life
difficult! Keep the conversation open, and encourage her to use the ‘I don’t know’ box along with other family members.
I’m a bit confused about how my building management is sorting trash, what should I do?
If in doubt, go directly to your
building management and ask for clarification. Even now, a full month
since the new regulation passed, there are still many communities that
have not implemented the new system, or are continuing to dump all the
different bins into one big truck all the same. This can be frustrating
but Dicke reminds us that a new system like this in a country as big as
China “cannot be switched on from one day to another”. Rome wasn’t built
in a day, but doing the right thing and forming good habits now will
pay dividends in the future for both us and our children.advertisement
Images: rmzxb.com.cn, Beijing Trash Classification Reference, Unsplash