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Call for action on garbage

EXPO visitors are calling for something to be done about the litter discarded by people queueing up for the national pavilions.

With nowhere to put their empty food containers and bags, they are being dropped on the ground and eventually obstructing people's way, not to mention despoiling the Expo site.

Visitors say there is so much rubbish, such as empty bottles and food packaging, where they are lining up to gain entry to the most popular pavilions that it's cutting down on the space they have to move in.

The build-up occurs because people in the queues are unable to leave and trash cans or other collection facilities are, in the main, absent.

Outside the Portugal Pavilion, Lu Zengde, a local retiree, said: "The trash is too much, and there's almost no place for the next step."

She thought it was not only insanitary and a possible threat to people's health but left a poor impression on visitors from other parts of the country and the world. "Somebody should take care of this," she said.

There were similar problems along the queues outside the pavilions of Russia and Algeria, among others.

Expo organizers and exhibitors said they would work on the problem, such as putting out collection bags and increasing the frequency of cleaning.

They also urged visitors to keep their garbage with them until they could dispose of it properly.

An official at the Portugal Pavilion said they had been concerned about the problem. They were keeping an eye on the situation and would lend a hand when necessary.

"The pavilion feels helpless when the situation simply gets out of control because of the huge number of visitors," said the official.

Jia Junwu, a local employee, said that when she was lining up waiting to enter the Russia Pavilion there was a foul smell from a nearby garbage can filled with rubbish. "It's not hot yet, but if it's summer how can visitors stand that when queuing under the scorching sun?"

Outside the Macau Pavilion, trash bags had been fastened to the handrails and visitors are able to dispose of their rubbish there. But come the afternoon, the bags were full and some visitors would stop moving forward rather than have to stand beside them.

Pavilion official Qiu Shujun said garbage cans would be added for queueing visitors to use.




 

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