You’re probably familiar with the greeting “Chīfànle ma?” which means “Have you eaten?” However since the new regulations behind the waste classification were implemented last week, it seems that “Have you sorted your garbage?” is the new greeting across Shanghai.
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Before you get too frustrated with the strict regulations that could get you fined up to 200RMB if fail to correctly sort your waste, here are some top tips so you do it right and avoid the fines.
Sort it on the spot
Instead of getting down and dirty by scrummaging through your garbage and taking out the empty shampoo bottles from the used toilet paper bin (ew!) Create an ingenious utility belt like this clever citizen.
Image via WeChat
Set an alarm
Collection for your waste is in the morning and if you miss that time slot then you’re going to have to wait until the next day before you can dispose of your garbage. If there’s anything we know about summer in Shanghai it’s that we don’t want empty tuna cans and food waste basking in your kitchen. So, come up with some creative solutions to make sure you wake up in time for garbage collection!
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Get practising
We’re sure your free time would normally be spent reading, cooking, hitting the gym or meeting friends. Forget the life you knew. Now, all your free time will be spent studying the garbage categories and to make things more fun there’s even a game for it! Happy days!
To get started just extract the QR code below. Once you access the home screen, click the ‘start game’ (游戏开始) button on the right. You’ve got 3 minutes to practice your garbage sorting (and Chinese).
It might also be worth noting that Shanghai has also put a stop to disposable cutlery with food deliveries unless you specifically request it. That means if you do really need cutlery with your Sherpa’s delivery you’ll need to add it to your cart, which the restaurant might charge for.
Let us know how you get on with the garbage sorting. Have you or anyone you know been fined? Do you have any quick solutions? Let us know in the comments!