Color-coded waste bins will be placed in 1,000 government offices, schools and large enterprises by the year end as part of a city-wide pilot project to implement a new trash sorting policy.

Blue bins will be used for recyclable materials, red for harmful trash and black for other garbage, Xinhuanet.com reported.

The Shanghai Waste Management Department will take charge of the project starting next month.

Some of Shanghai's neighborhoods have used color-coded dustbins since the beginning of the year to sort rubbish. A majority of residents participating in these pilot projects have accepted the idea of recycling and an environmentally-friendly lifestyle, the report said.

According to a survey, 549 neighborhoods with a combined population of 1 million had adopted this trash-sorting system by the end of August. It found that 79 percent of residents understood the concept and followed the guidelines.

The project will eventually be expanded to cover public areas such as airports, metro stations and public transport hubs. These places will carry blue and black garbage bins, according to the report.

(Shanghai Daily September 18, 2008)