Photo from: Shanghai Chengtou Environment Group. [Photo/eastday.com]

A smart trash sorting transportation system was launched in Shanghai on April 22 to accelerate the metropolis' efforts to build itself as a zero-waste city.

The launch ceremony was held during an event hosted by the Shanghai Chengtou Environment Group to celebrate Earth Day and the fifth anniversary of Shanghai's campaign to start trash sorting.

The new system covers the whole process of trash-sorting including dropping points, garbage stations, and junkyards. Resembling the operations of ports and fleets, the system monitors the flow of garbage containers and trucks and gives out the most efficient transportation options.

As for disposal, burning trash has largely replaced burying to avoid landfills of solid waste. The rest of the trash will be recycled accordingly, such as upcycling construction waste into building materials.

According to the Shanghai Chengtou Environment Group, its digital management platform covers 16 districts, 215 towns, 2,100 garbage containers, 4,500 garbage trucks, and 20 sets of disposal equipment in the city.

Shanghai is determined to build into a zero-waste city as the Shanghai Regulation on the Construction of a Zero-waste City comes into effect on June 5.

A zero-waste city does not refer to one with zero solid waste discharge but one adopting an urban development model that minimizes waste disposal and reduces the environmental impact of waste by promoting its reduction and utilization to achieve green and low-carbon development.

Source: eastday.com