Garbage is called a "misplaced resource". How do you get these resources back in their place? The experience of various countries shows that sorting waste at source helps to maximize the recycling of resources, solve the "siege" of waste, and promote sustainable development.

< p> When it comes to New York, it is hard to associate this attractive cosmopolitan city with a city of sewage and stinking garbage. In fact, New York was one of the dirtiest cities in the world until the end of the 19th century. The streets were littered with garbage and flies, the stench was so overwhelming that many residents never dared to open their Windows, and poor sanitation was a breeding ground for all kinds of diseases.

Hope did not come to New York until sanitary engineer George Waring appeared. In 1895, as a street sanitation commander, Waring created the first garbage collection and sorting system in New York's history, proposed a series of rules and specific measures to make soap and fertilizer from food waste, and called on the people to pick up a broom to clean the streets.

With the joint efforts of all the people, New York gradually got rid of the dirty and bad environment and established a more systematic and perfect garbage sorting and recycling method. According to the latest law in 1989, New York residents are required to sort their garbage before throwing it away. Recyclables are divided into two categories: paper and cardboard in one category, and metal, glass and plastic in another. They must be placed in different colored bins.

In recent years, New York has been exploring more detailed garbage sorting methods, trying to collect food waste separately and recycle it for biogas power generation and composting. The local government believes that increasing recycling efforts will not only help clean up the environment, but also save the government money.

Japan: Near the extreme

As a large and densely populated city, Tokyo, Japan, has been plagued by garbage and environmental pollution. At the end of 1970, the Japanese Parliament comprehensively amended the "Sweeping Law" and formulated the "Waste Treatment Law" to curb the discharge of waste and properly classify, store, collect, transport, recycle and dispose of waste.

With the long-term efforts of all sectors of society, the urban environment of Tokyo has been greatly improved, and the classification of waste has become more detailed and complicated. Combustible waste, non-combustible waste, kitchen waste, metal waste, plastic waste... Sorting makes it difficult to throw away your garbage.

For example, a cigarette box needs to be disposed of in three categories: the outer plastic film is plastic waste, the box is flammable waste, and the aluminum foil around the seal is metal waste.

Many garbage collection points can be seen on the streets and residential areas of Tokyo. On these collection points, there are instructions on the garbage classification method and recycling time in the form of graphics, such as what garbage is discarded 7 days a week. If you miss the designated time, you have to wait until the next collection day to throw away the garbage. If you want to throw away large items such as bicycles and closets, you need to call in advance to apply and buy a disposal certificate, which costs from hundreds to thousands of yen per piece. Those who throw rubbish carelessly can be fined or even jailed.

Germany: the details continue to optimize

Germany will be roughly divided into non-recyclable garbage, packaging garbage, paper waste, biological waste, electronic waste, glass waste and other categories, their destination is a different color trash can.

Germany also promotes beverage bottle recycling by setting a deposit. For example, a 1.5-litre bottle of regular mineral water costs 0.19 euros, but there is an additional deposit of 0.25 euros for the plastic bottle. You can only get your deposit back when the bottle is returned by one of the supermarket's collection machines.

With the participation of families, schools and other sectors of society, German children learn garbage classification methods from an early age, and regard it as a natural thing. The waste treatment plant will also organize visits to let the public know more about waste classification and its importance.

Recycling has also given rise to new business models such as waste management companies. Different types of waste can be disposed of at different costs, with higher fees for putting recyclable waste, such as plastic packaging and paper products, into non-recyclable bins. Waste management companies can help people reduce their waste disposal costs as much as possible.

For example, entrusted by the community manager, the staff of the waste management company will go to the community every once in a while to reclassify some of the wrong kinds of garbage, and provide regular consultation activities to popularize the knowledge of garbage recycling to the residents and help them sort their garbage more accurately. Although the residents have to pay part of the fees of the management company, with the substantial reduction of the garbage disposal fees, the residents not only save money, but also contribute to the environmental protection.