China ups war on waste with prizes for Beijing households sorting their own rubbish and recycling
Points earned for accurately classifying rubbish for collection can be exchanged for rewards including toilet paper and seasoning boxes in capital’s pilot scheme
Beijing has found a novel way to incentivise its residents to sort their household rubbish, by awarding them points to exchange for prizes, as part of a national push to reduce China’s mountains of waste, it has been reported.
Residents in the Xicheng district of the capital were told that kitchen waste and other rubbish sorted accurately for collection from their homes would be rewarded with points, The Beijing News reported on Thursday.
The pilot project sent garbage trucks into traditional hutong, or alleyway, neighbourhoods to collect sorted residential rubbish.
Households could also reserve a collection of recyclables such as newspapers that could be sold to waste disposal plants for processing and incineration at a higher price than general rubbish.
Points earned could be exchanged for small prizes such as toilet paper, seasoning boxes and summer mats, the report said.
