Residents in Shanghai could soon be paying to have their
household garbage processed, according to a draft regulation.
Enterprises and households except for those who receive
government low income subsidies face fines if they don't pay.
Charges are yet to be finalized.
The Shanghai municipal government said it was expected the
regulation would improve the city's household garbage processing
system, by recycling more reusable waste, and applying stricter
controls to the waste collection process.
Public comment is being sought.
In January, the government's legal office published the first
edition of the household garbage processing regulation. Revisions
were made after the first public comment phase.
Chen Wencai, an official with Shanghai municipal city appearance
and environment sanitation administrative bureau, said more
improvements to the city's garbage processing system, which
currently recycles about 4.4 percent of the total output, were
needed.
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In 2006, the city produced 6.6 million tons of household garbage
and only 289,000 tons were recycled. Most rubbish was either buried
or burned.
"As a city with a large population, Shanghai does not have much
land for garbage," Chen said.
"We will require people to sort out their garbage and our
recycling enterprises to process garbage according to different
kinds.
"We will test the sorting first late this year."
The government also announced that Shanghai people will be kept
more informed of new city regulations.
All draft regulations will be published on the government
website, another major web portal www.eastday.com and on local
paper Jiefang Daily.
Information will also be made available to other major cities
through the media.
The government will make it easier for people to give feedback
on proposals after it made significant grounds for transparency in
2003 when it began publishing draft regulations for the public.
(China Daily September 12, 2007)
