Shanghai’s strict new waste-sorting rules have left many residents scratching their heads over which bin to throw their rubbish into, giving rise to hundreds of apps to help them find the answer. Since July 1, people across the city of 26 million have had to sort their garbage into four categories – wet, dry, recyclable or hazardous. Those who do not comply will be fined. In the first week alone, 190 fines were issued as a record 17,800 officers from Shanghai’s Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement Bureau hit the streets to enforce the rules. It has been a popular topic on social media, with hashtags such as “Strictest Shanghai waste policy”, “Waste sorting”, and “Is this dry or wet waste?” trending on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter. Apps and programs have meanwhile appeared on social network WeChat, Alipay and Apple’s app store. On WeChat there are at least 280 unique waste-related apps, while Apple’s app store has 130. A spokeswoman for Alipay said more than 60 independent app developers had applied to provide waste-related programs on the platform, bringing in more than 1 million new users within three days of the policy’s launch. User numbers for those apps had maintained average growth of more than 10,000 a day and that was expected to continue rising, she added. Some residents say the apps have been useful. One 30-year-old woman living in the city, surnamed Guo, said she had used an app to work out how to correctly dispose of her rubbish, giving the example of determining whether cabbage leaves were wet or dry waste. “I’m finding the app quite good to use, even if there’s no need to use it every day. You learn how to classify the garbage as you go along and get used to sorting your waste,” Guo said. Among the variety of applications and programs on waste sorting, two have been widely used so far: educational and waste collection apps. The educational apps allow users to type a keyword or take a picture of their rubbish to find out which bin it should go in, while the waste collection apps provide a pickup service on request – similar to a food delivery app. Stores have also appeared on China’s biggest online shopping platform Taobao, offering waste sorting and disposal services ranging in price from 0.5 yuan to 924 yuan (7 US cents to US$134). With so many apps springing up, companies are trying to find ways to stand out. Green tech firm XHG Recycling, for example, has a rebate system. Users can get cash back based on the weight of their waste by installing the company’s smart garbage recycling bins and using its waste collection service via the app. “Our waste collection service only handles recyclables and it’s mainly a solution for people who have a lot of rubbish to dispose of,” a spokeswoman for XHG said. “Demand for our service has definitely increased after Shanghai brought in the new waste policy,” she said. “Now, our waste collectors can easily rack up monthly earnings of more than 10,000 yuan, and we’re confident about our business prospects.” Shanghai hotels told to stop providing free toothbrushes, combs as city looks to reduce waste But Xue Tao, executive director of the E20 Institute of Environment Industry, said it could turn out to be a short-lived business for many of the waste-related apps and programs that had sprung up. “The competition between these apps will be very intense since the market is huge and open to everyone,” Xue said. “The government has not offered any subsidies or funding to these apps, so for some small companies with limited manpower and resources, it will be more difficult to survive.” However, he said although there were a lot of apps competing for business, they were providing a useful service. “They can actually target the younger generation and raise their awareness of the government’s waste policy, so it’s still meaningful to society,” Xue said. Alipay is operated by Ant Financial, part of Alibaba Group Holding, which also owns the South China Morning Post . Taobao is also owned by Alibaba.