Editor’s note:
To set up a normalized and long-acting waste sorting mechanism, improve sense of social responsibility among teachers and students and protect the environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) will soon start a reform on garbage disposal, in accordance with the “Notice on Implementing Compulsory Domestic Waste Sorting Programs in Office Areas of Central Government Offices” issued by the National Government Offices Administration and in response to the call made by the Patriotic Health Campaign Committee of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). By the end of November, 2018, a compulsory garbage sorting system will have been established across UCAS campuses in Beijing.
Beside the trash can on the second floor of a dormitory building in UCAS’Yanqihu campus, there is a note on the wall reading “XXX (a student’s name), throw your waste into the trash bins downstairs!” The calligraphy is powerful and vigorous. Every day, the four trash bins at the entrance of the building take in all kinds of waste. Even though the waste sorting signs on the bins are conspicuous, students seem to have never noticed them.
We live in a tidy campus. One day, if waste sorting becomes an obligation, will you be happy, feel worried or gradually accept the change? Like it or not, the day is truly coming. At the end of this December, UCAS will finish setting up a compulsory garbage sorting system in all campuses in Beijing. Teachers and students are called on to sort their garbage into four categories: recyclable waste, other waste, kitchen waste and hazardous waste.
As for specific requirements of the waste sorting plan, all teachers and students have to classify their waste in four categories: hazardous waste, kitchen waste, recyclable waste and other waste.
1. Hazardous waste mainly includes:battery (cadmium nickel cell, mercuric oxide cell, lead acid battery, etc.),lamp (fluorescent lamp, energy saving lamp, etc.),thermometer and blood pressure cuff, drugs and their packaging,paint and solvent and their packaging,pesticide and sanitizer and their packaging, photographic film and paper, and so on.
2. Kitchen waste mainly includes: canteen garbage including rice, noodles, vegetable, fruits, animal and vegetable oil, meat and bone, and so forth.
3. Recyclable waste mainly includes: computer, printer, photocopier, fax machine, scanner, projector, television, air conditioner and other waste electronic products, waste publication, waste typing paper, waste packing materials, waste fabrics, waste plastic, waste metal, waste glass, and so on.
4. Other waste refers to used food bag (box), preservative film or bag, toilet paper, napkin tissue, fruit peel and shell, dust, etc.
The logistic department will placetrash bins marked “recyclable” and “unrecyclable” at the gate of all units in the dormitory area and at all floors of teaching buildings and office buildings, one trash bin for hazardous waste in front ofthe dormitory, teaching and office areas, respectively. In front of the canteen, there will also be a trash bin for kitchen waste. These measures are taken to make sure that all sorts of waste can be properly disposed. In the future, the number of trash bins of these four kinds will be increased or reduced according to realities.
UCAS is now replacing the existing trash bins with new ones that carry sorting signs to tell students how to sort their waste. Meantime, the university has signed agreements with qualified waste transport companies in Beijing for waste recycling. From the source to the destination of the garbage, UCAS is fully prepared to ensure the success of the waste disposal reform.
In addition, UCAS will gradually build a campus environmental credit system, open “green accounts” and “environmental protection files” for all units, teachers and students, and establish incentive mechanisms like credit exchanging, thereby including the compliance with requirements in waste sorting into the environmental credit system of UCAS. Results of examination and assessment on waste sorting will be timely reported. Teachers and students will be criticized and educated if they don’t comply with the requirements; while the units that fail to sort their waste properly will be forced to make rectification. The result of the rectification will also be checked.Waste sorting will be an item of the annual appraisal of individuals and units.
Leading the waste sorting plan, the University Logistics Department will work with other related units to mobilize human and material resources to ensure the smooth implementation of the plan in the campus. From this December on, the University Logistic Department will rigidly implement regulatory and punitive policies to create a sound environment for waste sorting. All teachers and students should actively get engaged in the reform, meet all requirements for waste sorting, develop the good habit of sorting our waste and enhance our sense of social responsibility, thus becoming reputable citizens who love our country, our campuses and our environment.
Let’s join in the efforts to promote garbage sorting in UCAS and make our contributions to building a sustainable environment.
Translated by HUANG Qixia
