HANGZHOU, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Scanning a code, opening a hatch, and tossing in bottles, Yuan Meirong completes the recycling process in less than 10 seconds. With a ding, 0.8 yuan (11.6 U.S. cents) is credited to her account.
"It's so convenient," said the resident from Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, gesturing at a smart recycling bin. "Now I can easily recycle delivery boxes and bottles for a little reward. It's fun."
Operated by the internet recycling firm Lovere, the smart bin is one of 870 units deployed across nearly 400 residential communities in Hangzhou's Xihu District since its July 2024 pilot launch.
Residents can enter a phone number or scan a QR code to recycle items such as plastic bottles, cardboard, old clothes, and takeout containers. The bin automatically weighs the items and pays about 0.6 yuan per kg directly to the user's account.
More than a mere convenience, the bins demonstrate how technology is monetizing waste streams across Chinese cities, transforming passive disposal into people's active participation in the circular economy.
Since deploying the smart bins, recyclable-sorting accuracy has reached 98.5 percent, with monthly recycling volume averaging 1,000 tonnes, said Zhang Yixiang, Lovere's Hangzhou chief.
The company has placed over 50,000 bins in 38 cities and has recycled 2 million tonnes for 30 million users.
In Xihu District alone, residents have used the bins 2.58 million times, receiving 4.2 million yuan in total. The top user recycled 9 tonnes, earning 5,400 yuan, according to the company.
Zhang Kang, Lovere's Hangzhou operations head, said the sensors trigger pickups only when bins are full, and an automated sorting center categorizes materials into more than 80 types for sale.
"With scale, the business is expected to become profitable," he said.
The Communist Party of China Central Committee's recommendations for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) for the country's economic and social development propose promoting a circular economy.
At Xianyu, a leading second-hand trading platform of China's internet giant Alibaba, 7 million used items were listed on average every day in 2025, with daily trading volume up 30 percent year on year.
"Every transaction is users' participation in a green lifestyle," said Ding Jian, the platform's CEO.
From April 2024 to March 2025, Xianyu users reduced carbon emissions by 11.8 million tonnes through trading and recycling -- equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 7.4 million households, Ding said.
According to the China Association of Circular Economy, the circular economy accounted for about 30 percent of the country's carbon reduction from 2021 to 2025, and this share is expected to rise to 35 percent by 2030.
In Hangzhou's Yuhang District, resident Chai Yuyong praised "Huge," a door-to-door recycling service, which collected his old sofa and table for free in 20 minutes.
Residents place orders via an app, and a worker arrives within an hour to collect, weigh and pay for items such as old appliances.
"Living on a high floor, I found it a hassle to dispose of the bulky old furniture by myself. Now, with just a tap on my phone, they come to collect and carry them for free. It's a real relief," Chai said.
Hu Shaoping, vice president of the company Huge Recycle, said that over the past 10 years, the company has built an end-to-end chain from household collection to sorting, dismantling and resource reuse.
The service offers transparent pricing for used appliances of different sizes. Residents are paid in "green coins," which can be redeemed for cash or spent at Huge's online mall, further driving green consumption. To date, the company has issued nearly 500 million yuan in green coins.
Xu Lin, a professor at Zhejiang University, noted that smart technology has made recycling and green consumption as simple as a phone scan. These small actions, he said, show how the public has moved from being told what to do to taking the lead in the circular economy.
"If the full potential of public participation is unleashed, carbon reduction will become a social consensus and daily habit for everyone," Xu said. Enditem
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