Garbage Classification in China 
by Haoji ZHU December 15, 2021

Recyclable waste mainly includes five categories: paper, plastic, glass, metal and fabric. Waste paper mainly includes newspapers, periodicals, books, all kinds of packaging paper, office paper, advertising paper, paper boxes, etc., but note that paper towels and toilet paper are not recyclable because they are too water-soluble. Plastic mainly includes all kinds of plastic bags, plastic packaging, disposable plastic lunch boxes and tableware, toothbrushes, cups, mineral water bottles, toothpaste skins, etc. Glass mainly includes all kinds of glass bottles, broken glass pieces, mirrors, light bulbs, thermos bottles, etc. Metal objects mainly include cans, can boxes, etc. Fabric mainly includes waste clothes, tablecloths, washcloths, school bags, shoes, etc [1].

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Hazardous waste includes waste batteries, waste fluorescent tubes, waste water silver thermometers, expired drugs, etc. These wastes require special treatment.

Kitchen waste includes food waste such as leftovers, bones, vegetable roots, leaves and peel. After in-situ treatment and composting by biotechnology, about 0.3 tons of organic fertilizer can be produced per ton.

Other wastes include bricks and ceramics, slag, toilet waste paper, paper towels and other wastes that are difficult to recycle in addition to the above-mentioned types of wastes. Adopting sanitary landfill can effectively reduce pollution to groundwater, surface water, soil and air.