Mr. Li, who lives in Shuangjing, has a puzzle: 10 years ago, an egg-filled pancake cost one yuan, but now it costs four or five yuan; 10 years ago, a pair of decent shoes cost only one or two hundred yuan, but now it costs at least seven or eight hundred yuan; but 10 years ago, a mineral water bottle cost 6 cents, and now it still costs 6 cents. Prices are rising, why has the price of waste not risen? How many links have those bottles, cans, books, newspapers, and old home appliances gone through, and where have they flowed to? Why are there fewer and fewer people collecting waste on the streets in recent years? Recently, the reporter approached several waste industry practitioners to understand the "journey" of waste from residents' homes to recycling terminals.

Employment Cases

Pay fees to the property in exchange for a "fixed stall"

A large newly built community in Tongzhou has a high occupancy rate. Master Zhang, who is a "waste collector", is "stationed" here. Counting it all, this is his 12th year in the industry.

In 2001, Master Zhang came to Beijing from his hometown in Henan Province. He was introduced by a friend to collect waste at Ciyunsi Bridge on the East Fourth Ring Road. At that time, Beijing's Fourth Ring Road was still under construction, and Master Zhang went from street to street, doing odd jobs. "I went wherever there was work, and there was no fixed spot. I could earn about 2,000 yuan in almost two months. I would go home to farm when I made money, and come back to earn more when I spent it all."

After doing odd jobs for more than two years, Master Zhang finally got his first "fixed stall", which was in a newly built community near Ciyunsi Bridge. Speaking of this fixed stall, it was "not easy to come by". Master Zhang admitted that it required "costs", "you have to pay a share to the property management, and it has to be introduced by an acquaintance."

As for how much the "share money" was, Master Zhang was reluctant to say. "It depends on the size of the community. It's about 10 to 20 percent of the income." But in Master Zhang's opinion, "Even so, it's cost-effective. After paying the property management, you are "official" and the waste in this community is basically yours."

12 years of work, the highest monthly income is 4,000

Master Zhang's "career route" is basically "synchronized" with housing development. New residential communities are his "first choice". He has been "stationed" in the residential community of the East Fourth Ring Road for more than two years. Seeing that the decoration of the owners of the residential community is basically in place, Master Zhang began to plan his next target.

"To be honest, bottles and newspapers make money slowly, so I just collect them. The main profit of collecting waste is the doors and windows, guardrails, radiators, scrap iron and copper removed from the decoration. These have high profits and are easy to make money." Master Zhang said frankly that some doors and windows, sliding doors, for example, can be sold as "second-hand goods". If they are collected for 100 yuan, they can be sold for 200 yuan, and the profit of collecting one is doubled.

Soon, the climax of development and construction in Tongzhou District attracted Master Zhang's attention. He moved his destination to Tongzhou again. By building "relationships" with the property management, he moved to several newly built communities and bought a second-hand truck with a bucket.

Counting his 12 years of experience in "collecting scraps", Master Zhang said, "I don't make much, but I can support my family. Excluding the money paid to the property management, I can earn more than 2,000 yuan a month, and 4,000 yuan a month when things are good."

Recycling chain

There are three or four links in the middle, and each layer adds 10%

In fact, Master Zhang is just the smallest link in the waste recycling chain. Through investigation and interviews, the Morning Post reporter learned that there are at least three to four transaction links in the entire chain from the waste being collected from residents' homes to the arrival at the recycling terminal. In these links, the transaction markup at each layer is basically around 10%.

For example, Mr. Zhang, mentioned in the previous article, transported the collected waste to a garbage station in Zhangjiawan, Tongzhou, where there were fifty or sixty fixed "consignees". These "consignees" classified the waste sent from the surrounding communities and sold them to the corresponding waste recycling companies. During this period, Mr. Zhang needed to drive the goods himself, and the whole process was all cash transactions.

Another way of recycling is that Mr. Zhang and others transported the waste to the garbage trading market. This is a market dedicated to the sale of waste, which is often located outside the Sixth Ring Road. There are people who collect metals, iron and copper, waste paper, and bottles in the market. These people are actually "second-hand dealers" in the industry. Because they are worried about being "stopped", they often sort and pack in the middle of the night. Because the price of raw material recycling is fluctuating, these "second-hand dealers" are not in a hurry to sell. They often hoard the collected waste, just like futures, waiting for the price of waste to rise, and "sell" when the time is right.

Recycling price

Scrap prices fall back to 10 years ago

Several scrap buyers who have been in the industry for more than 10 years told reporters that the price of scrap recycling has not fluctuated much in the past 10 years, with only a few years when the price was higher. Now is almost the lowest point in scrap purchase in recent years, and the price is about the same as 10 years ago. 10 years ago, a small Coke bottle was recycled from residents for 6 cents and sold to a scrap station for 8 cents; the current price is also 6 cents and 8 cents. 10 years ago, waste newspapers were recycled from residents for about 60 cents per kilogram and sold to scrap stations for 80 cents per kilogram; the current price has hardly changed. "I remember the highest time in so many years, a small Coke bottle was collected from residents for 13 cents and sold to a scrap station for 16 cents; when waste newspapers were the most expensive, they could receive more than 1 yuan per kilogram."

The low price of scrap is not only felt by ordinary residents, but also "implicated" by practitioners.

Lao Liu, who is nearly 60 years old, has been collecting waste for nearly eight years. He said that collecting waste was really profitable ten years ago. "Almost everyone in my hometown came to Beijing to collect waste. After working for three or four years, they could build a small building when they returned home." When the income was the best, Lao Liu could earn nearly 10,000 yuan a month. A few people in a village could "monopolize" the waste recycling business in a community by collecting 1,800 yuan a month and handing it over to the property management. "The security guards would not let other waste collectors in."

Collecting a truckload of waste costs hundreds of yuan

Although it had been glorious, Lao Liu said that this business is becoming more and more difficult to do now. In the past few years, in addition to contracting a community's waste, he could also catch up with demolition from time to time. Demolition is a "sweet job" in everyone's eyes, but in recent years, there are fewer and fewer places for demolition, and more and more people collecting waste. "Let alone making money now, I heard from a scrap collection station the other day that he lost hundreds of yuan after transporting a truckload of things, including the gasoline!" Lao Liu told reporters that the price of scrap changes several times a day. If the price at the collection station goes down, they can only lower the price we charge. Lao Liu also said that the "decline" of the famous Dongxiaokou is due to demolition, and another reason is that "people don't do it because they lose money."

Economic events "affect" small scrap

Speaking of some citizens' confusion about "why the price of scrap has not risen", Lao Liu, Master Zhang and others said that although they don't understand the big principles of economics, "waste and economy are closely related, this is still very true. The demand for raw materials is limited, and the price of scrap cannot go up." And this statement has also been recognized by recycling companies. The head of a Beijing renewable resource recycling company told reporters that the price of scrap depends on the price of raw materials purchased by the factory. Scrap trading links and transportation costs also affect the price of scrap.

Foreign economists once pointed out that "the scrap recycling industry is like a canary in a coal mine (in the past, coal miners placed canaries in the mine as an indicator of toxic gas concentration. If the concentration of toxic gas in the mine increased, the canary would die immediately, and the workers could use this signal to save themselves). It is the front and back ends of the industry and serves as an economic barometer." The scrap recycling industry, which seems to be at the "bottom" of the social division of labor, can be "affected" by major events outside China at any time. Lao Liu said that during the 2008 economic crisis, whether it was scrap copper, rotten iron, books, newspapers, or cans, the prices kept falling, basically by one-third.

On-site visit

Scrap recycling getting "farter" from Beijing

On Heiquan Road, north of Lincui Bridge on the North Fifth Ring Road, in the evening, all kinds of flatbed tricycles with motors installed, small pickup trucks modified from vans, and "Da Jiefang" will be fully loaded with various recycled old electrical appliances and furniture from the city. Trucks of waste are "waiting for the price" here.

This is not actually the final destination of these wastes. A waste recycling worker who did not want to be named told reporters that because this place and the areas further north are basically urban-rural junctions, many of the old electrical appliances collected from the city are just outdated, looking old but still usable. So strictly speaking, this is a second-hand market: an old air conditioner costs more than 300 yuan, and an old TV is about 100 yuan. Many migrant workers living nearby come here to "pick up bargains."

Another reason why this place naturally became a "transfer station" is that it is only a few kilometers away from the famous "waste distribution center" Dongxiaokou area in Beijing. The reporter saw that the "business" here is very good. Sometimes a vehicle loaded with waste drives here, and just when it is about to pull over, someone will even "run after the car", so few people have time to "talk to" the reporter. Only Lao Li, who was ready to collect the car, tied up a car of waste water dispensers that was almost falling, and told the reporter that he was from Henan and came to Beijing around 1998. At that time, there was a large waste recycling market on the North Fourth Ring Road. Later, it was demolished and moved to the vicinity of the current Olympic Forest Park. A few years later, because the Olympic bid was successful, large-scale venues and the Olympic Forest Park began to be built, and the dirty and messy waste market had to continue to move northeast to the current Dongxiaokou, which is around the Lishuiqiao subway station. "In addition to Dongxiaokou, there is also one in Xixiaokou now, but they say they will demolish it every other day. If it is demolished, we may have to find another place."

Old Li said that the scale of the scrap market in Dongxiaokou is gradually shrinking with the demolition, but because it is relatively famous, it still has relatively fixed "customers" until now. Every day, waste wood, old foam, waste paper shells, waste plastics, and scrap iron from the city are continuously transported here. After simple treatment such as sorting and compression, they are transported to Tangshan, Baoding, Handan, Wen'an and other places for processing. "There are not many left now, there are about ten. There are still those who collect aluminum alloy, plastic, and waste paper." "Basically, one boss takes care of a few workers, all of whom are fellow villagers. The home is there, and the furniture is all old furniture collected. When winter comes, they use coal stoves to make fire."

Old Li told reporters that some of the scrap recycling merchants in Dongxiaokou have now moved to Xixiaokou, and some have moved to Shaziying in Chaoyang District. "It probably won't last long. Now Beijing is demolishing a large area and building a large area every day. We are almost moving from the Fourth Ring Road to the outside of the Sixth Ring Road." Lao Li's pickup truck has been loaded. He wiped the dirt off his clothes and lit a cigarette. "Not only is this dirty and tiring, but it is also less and less profitable. Most of the time, it is not for selling, but because my own furniture and appliances are broken, so I collect a few for myself. Many people who work with me have returned to their hometowns and quit."

Solving the dilemma

Some waste flows into small workshops

In the 1950s and 1960s, in order to alleviate the shortage of social materials, waste recycling stations were established in various cities in China. In the 1980s, with China's economic reform and urbanization, collectively owned waste recycling stations closed down one after another, and a large number of migrant workers became the main force in waste recycling.

According to the data of the Beijing Renewable Resources Recycling Association, there are about 120,000 waste recycling personnel registered with government departments, basically migrant workers from Henan, Anhui and Hebei. Including the unregistered recycling network staff and scavengers, this group has about 200,000 people.

One benefit of the change from "public" to "private" is that so much urban waste has entered the recycling system in such a rough way, and the government does not need to "worry" about it, and it is completed consciously. However, this also brings problems. There is a lack of unified management among so many waste practitioners. The government does not know where the waste has gone, which leads to "secondary pollution".

Industry insiders told reporters that in Beijing, the total amount of discarded PET bottles generated each year can reach 150,000 tons, which is about 6 billion waste beverage bottles. Many of these waste bottles flow into illegal private small crushing workshops. They make profits after simple and crude processing, which brings about city appearance, noise, water pollution, etc. "Conservatively estimated, 70% to 80% of them flow into small workshops."

A complete management system needs to be established

Liu Quan, vice president of the Beijing Renewable Resources and Used Goods Recycling Industry Association, believes that the reason why a large part of the recycled resources flow into "small workshops" is, on the one hand, due to profit-driven, and the more important reason is that a complete and formal management system has not been formed. "The government has begun to pay attention in recent years, but some of the policies issued have not been implemented, there is no supervision, no mandatory constraints, and many things cannot be done at present."

The reporter learned that in recent years, led by the Municipal Commission of Commerce and supported by formal enterprises, "waste recycling outlets" have been laid around some communities. These outlets are directly facing community residents, setting a minimum purchase price, and reducing the middle links. However, due to insufficient quantity and property obstacles, many residents cannot find the outlets directly, and see more waste collection "vendors" "stationed" in the community.

Liu Quan said that this phenomenon also directly illustrates a problem, that is, the policy is not implemented in place. The "Regulations on the Management of Domestic Waste" formulated by Beijing stipulates that communities must hand over renewable resources to qualified companies for recycling, and community leaders must report the number to the street, but the actual situation is that some property management companies "recognize money but not people", and the policy has not been implemented in place.

Liu Quan called on the government to give more support to recycling companies in terms of financial support and land use policies. At the same time, the most important thing is "how to implement the policy now that it is in place".

Recycling companies plan to directly connect to communities

Faced with the recycling dilemma, some companies have begun to take action.

Recently, many citizens have seen a strange machine that can "swallow" bottles in the subway. As long as you throw an empty plastic bottle in, you can get a rebate. This machine is called an intelligent recycling machine. According to reports, these machines have been installed in Beijing's subways, bus stops, universities and primary and secondary schools. It is expected that by the end of next year, there will be 2,000 units.

According to Chang Tao, general manager of Yingchuang Renewable Resources Recycling Company, the production unit, this type of empty bottle recycling machine has three main modes: donation, rebate through mobile phone recharge, and rebate through bus card. After putting in the empty bottles, citizens who choose rebates can get a rebate of 5 cents to 10 cents. According to the current analysis of the machine's background data, nearly 30% of people will choose to "donate" to put in the empty bottles.

This is a recycling method different from the traditional one. Citizens put the empty bottles into the recycling machine nearby, and then the company's logistics team will recycle them regularly, and send the sorted waste to the corresponding national certified disassembly factory and recycling factory for recycling. The entire recycling process can be monitored and traced.

However, Chang Tao told reporters that the smart recycling machine may not consider entering the community on a large scale in the short term, but hopes to reach a "cooperation" with the waste recyclers in the community, that is, the company will send logistics to the community to "receive the goods" on the spot, which will not only reduce the transportation costs of the waste recyclers in the community, but also reduce the intermediate links and reduce pollution. At present, this mode of operation is being communicated with relevant departments and communities, and we strive to realize it as soon as possible.

This issue was planned by Zhang Xuguang and Jiang Wei

This edition was written by Morning Post reporters Zou Le and Wang Ping

This edition was photographed by Chief Photographer Cai Daizheng

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