Shanghai on path to becoming zero-waste city

Editor's note: As protection of the planet's flora, fauna and resources becomes increasingly important, China Daily is publishing a series of stories to illustrate the country's commitment to safeguarding the natural world.

Seven years after becoming the first provincial-level region in China to mandate household waste sorting, Shanghai is transitioning from simple disposal to a high-tech circular economy. On March 30, the fourth International Day of Zero Waste, municipal authorities released the city's zero-waste index, showing a score of 86.96 out of 100, a metric tracking Shanghai's progress across seven categories of solid waste.

While the number itself serves as an internal benchmark, the underlying data reveals a significant shift in how the megacity of 25 million manages its output. Since the 2019 implementation of waste management regulations, Shanghai's household recycling rate has climbed from 35 percent to 45.3 percent, supported by a provincial-level legislative framework established in June 2024.

Categories covered in the zero-waste index include household waste, industrial solid waste, hazardous waste, construction waste, medical waste, agricultural waste and municipal sludge. The index focuses on core dimensions of prioritizing reduction, maximizing resource utilization, ensuring harmless treatment, and modernizing governance.

Experts said that the numerical increase is not an isolated advancement, but a result of optimizing industrial structures, upgrading technology and fine-tuning grassroots governance, combined with the cultivation of green habits among residents.