Wuhan, capital city of Central China’s Hubei province, is to implement domestic waste classification starting on July 1, according to local officials.
That’s in the wake of the city’s release of its Wuhan Domestic Waste Classification Management Measures.
The program classifies household waste in Wuhan into four categories: recyclables, hazardous waste, kitchen waste and miscellaneous waste.
Recyclables refer to unpolluted substances in domestic garbage that are suitable for reuse. They include wastepaper, waste plastics, waste metal, waste packaging, waste textiles, waste electrical and electronic products, waste glass and wastepaper plastic aluminum composite packaging.
Hazardous waste refers to substances in domestic garbage that cause direct or potential harm to human health or the natural environment.
It includes waste batteries, waste lamps, waste thermometers, waste sphygmomanometers, waste medicines and their packaging, waste paints, solvents and their packaging.
Kitchen waste refers to the substances in domestic waste cycle that take organic matter as the main component and have the characteristics of high-water content, perishable fermentation and have a foul odor.
It includes food and kitchen waste generated by company canteens, hotels and restaurants, as well as vegetable and fruit waste, carrion, meat bones, eggshells and offal from livestock and poultry products generated by farmers' markets and agricultural product wholesale markets.
Miscellaneous waste refers to refuse other than hazardous garbage, recyclables and kitchen waste.
After the implementation of the compulsory waste classification management measures, the city departments shall order corrections to units and individuals that violate the regulations.
Those units who refuse to make corrections shall face a maximum 50,000 yuan ($7,065) fine. Individuals who refuse to comply will face a fine of 200 yuan.
