Since July 1st, 2019, citizens have been required by law to sort garbage in Shanghai. Garbage sorting is now incorporated into the city's legal framework: individuals who mix and dispose of garbage improperly can be fined up to 200 yuan ($28), while organizations that mix and transport garbage improperly can be fined up to 50,000 yuan. Come and learn how to sort garbage into four categories: dry, wet, hazardous and recyclable.

How should household garbage be sorted?

Common items:

1. Plastic bags - Dry

2. Paper napkins - Dry

3. Rechargeable batteries - Hazardous

4. Sanitary pads - Dry

5. Clothes - Recyclable

6. Bamboo leaves (used for wrapping food) - Dry

7. Wet wipes - Dry

8. Shells - Dry

9. Large bones - Dry

10. Aluminum cans - Recyclable

Hazardous garbage:

Batteries, fluorescent lamps, expired medicine, used paint and paint containers, which can potentially have harmful effects on human health or the natural environment as household garbage.

Disposal requirements:

- Please be careful when disposing of hazardous garbage

- Please dispose of fragile items in their original packaging or wrap them lightly

- If volatile, please seal before disposal

Wet garbage:

Organic garbage, including food leftovers, expired food, fruit and vegetable peels, flowers and plants, and Chinese medicine residues.

Disposal requirements:

- Pure liquid food garbage, such as milk, should be poured directly into the sink.

- Wet garbage with packaging should have its packaging removed and sorted for recycling or general garbage.

Recyclable garbage:

Paper, plastic, glass, metal, and fabric that can be recycled

Disposal requirements:

- Handle the garbage gently.

- Keep it clean and dry to avoid contaminating the paper garbage. Flatten it if possible.

- Empty the content of three-dimensional packaging, clean it, and then flatten it for disposal.

Dry garbage:

Everything excluding recyclable garbage, hazardous garbage, and kitchen garbage.

Disposal requirements:

- Remove as much water as possible.

- If it's difficult to determine the category, dispose of it as general garbage.

How is "ambiguous" garbage classified?

Crayfish

During crayfish season, some netizens claim that coconut shells and durian shells can affect the disposal equipment for wet garbage, so they classify them as dry garbage. Then what about the hard crayfish shells? Are they wet or dry garbage?

Both small and large crayfish shells are wet garbage.

Regardless of whether it's a small or large crayfish, the shells are considered wet garbage.

Corn husks

Will corn husks decompose? Are they considered wet garbage?

Hard fruit shells and hard fruits are dry garbage.

According to the Shanghai Domestic Garbage Classification and Disposal Guidelines, hard fruit shells, such as coconut shells, durian shells, walnut shells, corn husks, sugarcane peels, and durian and jackfruit seeds, are classified as dry garbage.

Cosmetics

How are cosmetics classified? After pouring out the expired liquid from expired cosmetics, are the bottles considered recyclable materials? How should expired toners, lotions, and face masks be classified?

Most cosmetics are considered dry garbage.

Regardless of whether they are expired or not, most cosmetics are considered dry garbage. Lipsticks, eyeshadows, contact lenses, false eyelashes, and skincare products such as face masks and cleansing oils are typically used with various tools such as oil blotting papers, makeup brushes, sponges, cotton swabs, and hair ties.

Note: nail polish and nail polish remover are hazardous garbage, regardless of whether they have dried or expired.

Glass products such as perfume bottles can be recycled.

After pouring out the contents and rinsing the perfume bottles, fragrance bottles, essence bottles, and other glass products can be placed in the recycling bin.

Pet-related

What about pet feces, cat litter, dog pee pads, and other pet products? How should they be classified?

Pet feces are not considered household garbage.

Pet owners should collect their pet's feces and dispose of them in public toilets or flush them down the toilet at home. The newspapers, plastic bags, plastic gloves, and other items used to collect the feces should be thrown into the dry garbage bin.

Pet hygiene products are all considered dry garbage. Regardless of whether they have been used or not, or whether they are dirty or not, they are all considered dry garbage.

Unfinished drinks and takeout food

Can unfinished milk tea or yogurt, along with the containers and bottles, be thrown together?

Unfinished milk tea or yogurt:

Step 1: Pour the milk tea or yogurt into the sink.

Step 2: Dispose of the remaining residues such as pearls and fruit pulp as wet garbage.

Step 3: Dispose of the cup and straw as dry garbage (If you can clean and recycle the yogurt bottle, it can be placed in the recycling bin).

Simple reminder:

Recyclable: Glass, metal, plastic, paper, cloth;

Hazardous: Medicine, oil, batteries;

Wet: Easily perishable, easily fragmented;

Dry: Other

Source: zwdt.sh.gov.cn