The G30 Plan promoted a proper separation of garbage and recyclables. Before the plan, there was a waste separation scheme comprised of seven items under five categories. The G30 plan introduced source separation for 15 items under ten categories, which required residents to properly separate waste into these 15 categories and dispose of them at designated collection places and times. The collection system was strict in a sense that it required the residents to use designated transparent bags for disposal so that collectors could easily identify unsorted waste. As an enforcement of these strict rules, the city government conducted environmental education to raise public awareness of waste management. More than 1,000 seminars on how to reduce and segregate waste were organized for residents. Moreover, about 600 campaigns were held at railway stations while over 3,300 awareness campaigns were organized at local waste collection sites. Citizen volunteers, called “garbage guardians,” also helped the enforcement of the rule by promoting proper sorting measures.
- Environmental education conducted by the city government helped to raise public awareness of waste management.
- Citizen volunteers, called “garbage guardians,” also helped the enforcement of the rule by promoting proper sorting measures.
Sorting out waste before disposing is the primal step to reduce the total amount of waste. However, setting strict and complicated rules of garbage sorting means to force citizens and companies to bear not a small cost of time and effort to follow. Effective garbage sorting system could not function without government’s efforts to raise public awareness of waste management through, but not limited to, environmental education and public campaigns.