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Posts: 259

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Q: Is there something like recycling in China?

Well, basically all the trash is been thrown together in the same bag or trashcan, but does somebody finally seperate some of it and recycle it or is it just common to burn or deposit all the trah somewhere? I was just wondering...

12 years 4 weeks ago in  General  - China

 
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Man you have no idea
China is not only the worlds workshop but has the biggest recycling army in the world.
just try holding onto a empty water bottle.
or better still leave it in an open area then step back
it's like watching seagulls go after a french fry.
and that constant clagging you hear is to encourage you to bring out your recycling

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12 years 4 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1091

Shifu

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It is all about efficiency jacky chan even did a movie where was a tycoon who made his money though recycling great fight scenes 

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12 years 4 weeks ago
 
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Just chuck it, this place is full of scavengers. 

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12 years 4 weeks ago
 
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My GF must have a doctoral degree in recycing, CHINESE STYLE.  I swear every piece of paper, plastic in whichever form, bottles (glass or plastic), cardboard, foam, etc,
 gets saved in an empty room, and when there is enough there she calls an older lady on a bike who takes everything away and pays her from 30 to 50 Rmb each time.  Even empty milk cans (evaporated or condensed mlk) can not be trashed.

And if she ever finds out I threw something away, I will visit the dog house for a while, and remainded daily not to waste money.

derek:

Hehe, the wasting money comment rings true with me too. I am sure I mumble it in my sleep.........then she goes out and slaps down 8000rmb for a freakin camera!

12 years 4 weeks ago
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philbravery:

move over is there room for me on the boat USS my wife is a spend thrift

12 years 4 weeks ago
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12 years 4 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1084

Shifu

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Beer bottles are all recycled/reused.

You'll find plenty of Grannies on the street who will kindly take your plastic bottles.

There are many bins that have both a trash and recycle part.

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12 years 4 weeks ago
 
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I halfway seperate mine but then throw both piles away. I don't need the couple of rmb for an empty case of beer so I leave it out when I know they are coming by.  I just try to make easier for the team of people that make a living digging through the trash.

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12 years 4 weeks ago
 
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On the one hand, I agree with what everyone has said, especially about the empty water bottles.  Wow, you'd think I was carrying around some delicious chicken feet the way some people would stare at that bottle surprise

But on the other hand, I'm sure you've all seen those public waste bins.  Usually a recyclable and a non-recyclable bin right next to each other.  In my experience, when the worker comes to empty these bins, they get emptied into the same container.....blush

kchur:

I like your screen name, will you be my friend?

12 years 4 weeks ago
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luggi:

exactly, i cant agree more... and ppl dont care and put same wrong stuff in both bins anyway...

12 years 4 weeks ago
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12 years 4 weeks ago
 
Posts: 2604

Shifu

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People do, do that all the time and it's not their fault some of the times. They are just not educated enough to separate the plastic from the trash. I have two garbage cans where I keep plastic in one and garbage other stuff in the other. That way when I'm ready to take out the trash and recycling material together I don't have to do extra work it's already separated. As far as someone separating the plastic from the garbage at least in the big city there are people that go around from trash can to trash can to get all the plastic bottles they can find. My neighbor back home did that too every morning going around to each of the neighbors houses to get plastic bottles. They can get like 2 cents or something back where I'm from and I'm sure the people who collect bottles to sell get a small profit and that's why they do it.

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12 years 4 weeks ago
 
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I separate my garbage but the bottle pickers tear through my useless bags of rotting non-recyclable garbage anyway, hoping to find that one bottle I missed. They tend to go out at night and with all the rats wandering around those alleys they must get bit to hell.

derek:

Yup, I cringe when walking past this every morning. They are thorough.

12 years 4 weeks ago
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12 years 4 weeks ago
 
Posts: 660

Shifu

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Yep, they are all over that... I took a swig from a water bottle and there was 10% left. and some lady started yelling at me if I was finished and she could take it.

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12 years 4 weeks ago
 
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I always keep my bottles outside of my trash. Sometimes students would see I had some plastic bottles laying around, and wanted to put them in with the trash, but I wouldn't let them. There seems to be a separate place to throw bottles and trash near my apartment. I figured it made it easier for whoever takes the trash or bottles away. Right now there's a huge pile of plastic.

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12 years 4 weeks ago
 
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well ok, so many people doing this for a living. but i dont think they will get all the bottles and cans. and even if they do, what happens with the other waste? there is still a lot of plastic wrapping and other stuff around, what happens to that? somebody still seperates that after they take the trash to somewhere? or what happens then? any idea?

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12 years 4 weeks ago
 
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Every piece of trash here is picked through with a fine tooth comb...usually by old ladies with bare hands.
When I first got here I had issues with dumping bottles in the trash, but because of the socioeconimic issues here, there are always more than enough people to pick through the trash and make a living.
China is the recycling capital of the world.

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12 years 4 weeks ago
 
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In my experience seems like government is doing some kind of efforts to try to recycle but reality is people need money and the biz of recycling os something huge here.
Despite the formal efforts of government to recycle there is a whole industry running 24/7 in the whole country which makes recycling work more as business than a way of saving resources and protecting environment.

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12 years 4 weeks ago
 
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