Mountain of garbage shrinks for first time
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Beijingers bucked the trend during the first two months of 2010 and managed to produce significantly less garbage than they did during the same period last year.
Chen Ling, vice-director of the Beijing municipal commission of city administration and environment, told METRO households produced 7.06 percent less trash.
Last year, during the two-month period, Beijingers sent 741,800 tons to landfills and garbage processing facilities. This year, people threw out 689,500 tons.
"The capital launched a low-carbon campaign, known as 'zero-waste of household garbage' last year, which succeeded in encouraging negative growth in domestic trash for the first time," Chen said.
She added that the capital is also creating 100 pilot programs around the city where waste will be more thoroughly sorted.
The program was launched at the 62-year-old Beijing Yuying Middle School.
Yan Hua, the school's principal, said kitchen waste created by more than 3,000 students and school staff had been reduced by almost 50 percent compared to the same period last year.
"We reduced household garbage from the source which directly created less trash," Yan said. "Students have attended special garbage classification lessons and they have become used to sorting their leftovers and empty bottles and packaging into different refuse containers."
Two huge metal-covered garbage disposal machines, which can handle 100 kg of household waste each day, stand in a blue plastic-covered building at the school. The facilities are helping students understand the challenges of waste and recycling and are also used to produce fertilizer.
In addition, the school has set up a rainwater-collection system, a reclamation depot and solar-energy system that produces hot water for around 300 students who live at the school.
"We hope the school can be seen as a model for the low-carbon campaign and will encourage more and more groups or individuals to realize the importance of garbage classification and reduction," said Chen.
"The government plans to reward groups and individuals with bonuses if they have done well in the 'zero-waste' campaign."
More than 200 primary and middle schools, which account for 11 percent of the 1,810 schools in the capital, have joined the low-carbon campaign, according to the Beijing municipal commission of education.
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