New garbage rules spawn new online profession

Shanghai Municipal Domestic Waste Management Regulations will be formally implemented on July 1, 2019. According to the new rules, individuals who fail to properly sort their garbage can be fined between 50 to 200 yuan (about 7 to 29 US dollars).

Photos of garbage cans classified for sorting in Shanghai, June 20, 2019. [File photo: VCG]

Amid concerns about this, a new profession has emerged: Online garbage collectors. Customers place orders online and collectors will pick up their garbage at their door. It's estimated their monthly incomes could reach more than 10,000 yuan.

Their work includes mostly fixed-point recycling and door-to-door recycling.

In the lead up to the changes, online garbage collectors are suggesting orders for door-to-door recycling have been increasing day-by-day thanks to the convenience of online booking.

Li Mingzhe works in a recycling station. He says that nowadays more than 70 percent of urban garbage is generated by young people. In the past, more than 80 percent of garbage recycling customers was traditionally the middle-aged and elderly. This is because online booking is in line with the life styles of younger people. He says he believes the online booking of recycling will be the mainstream in the future.

President Xi Jinping has issued calls for people in China to "cultivate the habit of waste sorting" and "make the people realize the importance and necessity of garbage sorting," ahead of this year's World Environment Day.