{"id":375,"date":"2010-03-27T03:45:58","date_gmt":"2010-03-27T03:45:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/?p=375"},"modified":"2010-03-27T03:46:47","modified_gmt":"2010-03-27T03:46:47","slug":"where-does-the-trash-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/where-does-the-trash-go\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Does the Trash Go?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I lived in Beijing, every day I would pass a trash compactor station where tricycle-bound trash collectors would empty the contents of the storage tank mounted on the back.\u00a0 I would reflect on how having\u00a0 a roving fleet of trash collectors could replace several garbage trucks and reduce congestion and air pollution on Beijing’s roads.\u00a0 Anything that could not be recycled was \u5783\u573e<\/strong> (la1ji1 trash), and I’d bring my paper, glass, and bottles to independent people bearing signs reading \u9ad8\u4ef7\u56de\u6536<\/strong> (gao1jia4hui2shou1 [high price paid for recycled goods]).\u00a0 It was never difficult to find them- there were about 3-4 stationary people in high-visibility areas within a 1-mile radius of my apartment.<\/p>\n

Now in Beijing’s so-called “7th ring” area, there is a growing concern about trash management.\u00a0 According to a recent Guardian article, Beijing’s existing trash-handling capacity can only handle 61% of the trash produced daily (11,000 ton handling capacity to meet a daily output of 18,000 tons).\u00a0 This has led to an unexpected short-term solution.\u00a0 Instead of developing a contingency plan for improving recycling, waste management officials have installed several deodorant guns near landfills past Beijing’s 6th ring road.\u00a0 This is used to keep the smell down before the trash is burnt.\u00a0 This has led me to informally examine systemic issues with recycling both in Beijing and Shenzhen.<\/p>\n

In my building, every floor has two separate trash bins- one for recyclable items and one for non-recyclable items.\u00a0 Since moving to Shenzhen last August, I had assiduously separated my trash into each bin every time I took out the trash.\u00a0 Earlier this week, I encountered a building employee emptying both bins into one bag, commingling my biodegradable newspapers with plastic bags.\u00a0 After asking the woman what happens to the trash, she notified me that a person downstairs \u5206\u7c7b<\/strong> (fen1lei4 [sorts]) it.\u00a0 Except for glass, it seems that most waste could be dropped down a chute rather than having someone come upstairs, mix it, then bring it downstairs for somebody to separate it again.<\/p>\n

Most of the\u00a0 coworkers whom I surveyed expressed that separating their goods was very \u9ebb\u70e6<\/strong> (ma2fan2 [annoying]), but that they’d consider doing it if it were made easier.\u00a0 Readers, what have your experiences been with waste management in China?\u00a0 Does your office separate trash from recyclables?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I lived in Beijing, every day I would pass a trash compactor station where tricycle-bound trash collectors would empty the contents of the storage tank mounted on the back.\u00a0 I would reflect on how having\u00a0 a roving fleet of trash collectors could replace several garbage trucks and reduce congestion and air pollution on Beijing’s…<\/p>\n

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