About 600,000 people have participated in Shanghai's trash sorting volunteer service promotion campaign throughout 2024, the city's greenery and public sanitation authorities said on Friday.
A household waste sorting promotion activity was held in Hongkou District on the day, with booths set up and robot helpers on hand to demonstrate how they could pick up dry and wet waste.
Waste collection service robots move swiftly but stop automatically and wait as people dispose of garbage, fascinating many residents. Videos promoting trash classification are also screened on the robots.
Citizens can use a WeChat mini-program to make appointments for the collection and delivery of waste.
The robots are expected to be put into use at residential complexes in the district from next month, officials said.
"The robots can sense a human from a distance of 1.5 meters, and their covers will open automatically then, enabling people to dispose of trash," said a volunteer surnamed Zhao.
After people make their appointments, the robots move to their residential buildings and take elevators to reach the residents' homes, and the whole process can be traced via a mini program, he added.
Volunteers explain the importance of trash sorting.
Hongkou has been promoting waste sorting through various means with green low-carbon themed classes hosted at primary and middle schools. The district has updated its waste sorting facilities and equipment and advanced the development of waste sorting demonstration residential areas.
To date, nearly 1,000 disposal points have been renovated across the district.
Between January and October, a daily average of 258 tons of wet garbage was separated in the district, soaring 350 percent from late 2018 before the city's garbage classification regulations came into effect.
As a result, 408 tons of dry trash was collected daily during the period, a drop of 34 percent from 2018.
People play garbage-sorting games.
