An unlikely indicator of Beijing's rising affluence is the mountain of food discarded from restaurants and the kitchens of wealthier homes.
Beijing residents produce more than 1,600 tonnes of leftovers a day, according to figures from the Refuse Recycling Administration Bureau reported in the Beijing Youth Daily.
Only 20 tonnes a month are salvaged for pig fodder, the report said, noting that the city's legions of poor and homeless continued to go hungry.
'There is more garbage coming out of restaurants and the waste is enormous. But right now we basically only reuse 20 tonnes a month,' said Wang Duichang, of the Xuanwu District Environmental Sanitation Bureau.
Observers say the heart of the problem lies in hosts at dinner parties or restaurant groups believing they will lose face if all the food ordered is eaten. Guests are seen as judging the dining experience by the cost and number of dishes ordered.
Mr Wang said collection agencies could only sell the leftover food to local pig farms.
