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Beijing to educate on recycling measures for Olympics
By Guan Xiaomeng (Chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2007-05-09 16:54
Beijing will explore more ways to recycle in bid to build an environmentally-friendly city in the run-up to the Olympics Games next year, said officials at a press conference by the Organizing Committee for the Beijing Olympic Games (BOCOG) on Wednesday.
"We will carry out more economic and educational measures instead of merely administrative means this year to increase awareness around garbage classification," Chen Ling, deputy director of Beijing Municipal Administration Commission told Chinadaily.com.cn.
Chen further explained in detail that the commission would invite experts to residential communities in Beijing to teach people how to separate garbage from renewable and nonrenewable ones.
Waste bins for classified garbage in residential communities, shopping malls, tourist sites and other public places in Beijing are almost empty because people either don't know how to separate the garbage or don't care to dispose of things properly.
In some housing complexes, poor community administration and recycling staffs' lack of professional training lead to carefully sorted garbage thrown out together with the waste.
"Last year, we began to give professional training to property managers as how to look after classified garbage, and this year we will pay door-to-door visits to teach people how to sort their garbage," Chen said.
"Facilities for garbage recycling and transportation will be improved this year," Chen added, saying the facilities include fixed recycling sites, services to pick up sorted garbage by phone, and mobile classified garbage trucks around residential communities. "The mobile trucks will be piloted later this year."
According to Nanfang Daily, domestic garbage is divided into four groups:
1. Renewable garbage - paper, metal, plastic, and glass
2. Kitchen waste - those that can be composted into organic fertilizers including leftover and other food waste.
3. Harmful garbage - used batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, mercury, and expired medicine
4. Others
As an economic incentive, Chen said garbage treatment compensation was already implemented in March to reduce garbage. "The garbage treatment sites charge 50 yuan per ton to the company or community that produced the garbage," Chen explained, adding the money is used to improve the facilities of the garbage-treatment sites.
Chen said the compensation is not fixed as the commission would adjust the charge in line with the city's economic, social development and investment in environment protection.
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