Holding two large bundles in each hand, Gao Dunhuan walked toward a large bin beneath her apartment building in the Shinan district of Qingdao. Opening the lid, she cast the parcels into the container labeled "old clothes".

"Most of these clothes are barely used, almost brand new. It is a real pity if they are just discarded," she said. "The recycling bin is really useful, and it is near home."

The box is part of a new program to recycle used clothing in this coastal city in Shandong province, similar to efforts in other cities, such as Shenzhen and Suzhou. While most of China's streetside recycling efforts are still informal, led by a brigade of collectors who collect and then resell paper, glass and plastic by the kilo, the Qingdao effort is a government initiative.