A plastic bottle collecting site has been transformed into a wetland. [Photo by Wang Jing/China Daily]

In 2012, tons of recyclable wastes were disposed every day in several waste disposal hubs in Beijing's suburbs. People who worked there usually lived in shacks of few square meters in a dirty and stinky environment.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in November that year, Beijing has adopted measures to clean these disposal hubs so as to echo the national strategy of enhancing ecological civilization.