Fines to reduce Guangzhou trash
Source: Xinhua |
April 3, 2011, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
Throwing garbage into the wrong waste bin in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, may cost the equivalent of a fancy dinner.
As the southern China metropolis seeks to reduce the amount of trash, it has decided to take a hard line by imposing fines on people who fail to put waste in the right place.
The regulations on garbage classification, which took effect on Friday, requires residents and organizations to put garbage into four separate bins labeled recyclable waste, kitchen waste, hazardous waste and other waste.
A resident who fails to correctly dispose of garbage will be fined 50 yuan (US$7.64), and the penalty for violation by an organization will be 500 yuan, according to the garbage-sorting regulations.
"So far, the issue of the penalty relies on spot checks, so it is more about deterrence and discipline," said Zhang Jianguo, deputy head of the city management committee.
Publicity, however, will be ramped up as more signs and TV programs will spread information about the proper sorting of waste, said Zhang.
Garbage classification is nothing new to China's big cities.
However, the additional roadside receptacles for recyclable and non-recyclable waste are seen by most citizens as nothing more than an extra bin for trash.
To raise public awareness, the city of Guangzhou, which produces 15,000 tons of garbage daily, has piloted new ways for garbage classification in dozens of neighborhoods since January 2010.
In some communities, the campaign for garbage classification has been stymied due to a lack of publicity and has been met with less cooperation from property management companies.
"Some communities wouldn't agree to pay for more dustbins because they say that it is the obligation of the government," said Zhang.
Guo Weiqing, a professor with Sun Yat-Sen University, said that the primitive state of waste processing would also undermine efforts to promote classification for garbage collection.
"Garbage classification is not just about grouping before disposal. It should create more business opportunities for recycling," said Guo.
As the southern China metropolis seeks to reduce the amount of trash, it has decided to take a hard line by imposing fines on people who fail to put waste in the right place.
The regulations on garbage classification, which took effect on Friday, requires residents and organizations to put garbage into four separate bins labeled recyclable waste, kitchen waste, hazardous waste and other waste.
A resident who fails to correctly dispose of garbage will be fined 50 yuan (US$7.64), and the penalty for violation by an organization will be 500 yuan, according to the garbage-sorting regulations.
"So far, the issue of the penalty relies on spot checks, so it is more about deterrence and discipline," said Zhang Jianguo, deputy head of the city management committee.
Publicity, however, will be ramped up as more signs and TV programs will spread information about the proper sorting of waste, said Zhang.
Garbage classification is nothing new to China's big cities.
However, the additional roadside receptacles for recyclable and non-recyclable waste are seen by most citizens as nothing more than an extra bin for trash.
To raise public awareness, the city of Guangzhou, which produces 15,000 tons of garbage daily, has piloted new ways for garbage classification in dozens of neighborhoods since January 2010.
In some communities, the campaign for garbage classification has been stymied due to a lack of publicity and has been met with less cooperation from property management companies.
"Some communities wouldn't agree to pay for more dustbins because they say that it is the obligation of the government," said Zhang.
Guo Weiqing, a professor with Sun Yat-Sen University, said that the primitive state of waste processing would also undermine efforts to promote classification for garbage collection.
"Garbage classification is not just about grouping before disposal. It should create more business opportunities for recycling," said Guo.
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