Experts point out that China should also keep up with the new environmental protection model

By Molina Liu (Translated from an article originally published on SBS Chinese)

Introductory note: This is Xuan. I am very grateful for the opportunity to speak to the SBS journalists, and make this segment about how we can learn from international examples on community composting, source separation, circular economy from a Chinese perspective. I feel invigorated and refreshed to be working alongside my colleagues at LOCCAL, to learn from our Chinese counterparts to bring sustainably operated community composting programs all over Australia. 

There are currently 8 high-rise apartments in Melbourne that are implementing community composting pilot projects. The government said it is learning from Singapore’s experience to promote sustainable garbage sorting and resource recycling in high-density apartments. In addition, experts believe that China, as a major carbon emitter, should also accelerate the promotion of community composting projects.

Xuan, founder of the City Composting Network

She said that residents first sorted the kitchen waste at home, poured organic waste such as vegetables and fruits, into a worm farm, and added the shredded newspapers. The earthworms began to “work” by wriggling their bodies, transforming these kitchen waste organisms into fertilizers to nourish the soil. The converted juice is also collected at the bottom of the trash can, which can also be used to maintain flowers and plants. For meat, eggs, dairy and other kitchen waste that is not suitable for earthworms to eat, these wastes will be put into the dehydrators for processing and converted into another type of organic fertilizer, and effectively avoid the generation of odour.

Under a high-rise apartment building in Melbourne’s city, an innovative community composting project is running smoothly. In an interview with SBS Chinese, the initiator of the project, Xuan, detailed how to use earthworms and dehydrators to “transform” kitchen waste in the small storage room of the apartment garage.

“Local production, local recycling, local use”

Xuan, Founder of the City Composting Network

The community composting project does not involve third-party transportation. Xuan pointed out: “The kitchen waste is generated locally, recycled locally, and then used locally, so this reduces a lot of carbon emissions and costs of this (garbage/material) transportation.” Only one investment in equipment and training of volunteers in the building can achieve self-sufficiency. Since the project was run for a year, all operations have been completed and maintained by the residents in the building.

The pilot apartment building of the composting project is mostly middle-aged and elderly residents. While using composting equipment to reduce pollution and protect the environment, they also cultivate an interest in taking care of flowers and plants, bringing neighbours closer. Resident Takako said: “With this composting hub, the garbage in our building, especially food scraps, has been reduced a lot. Residents have also started discussing gardening, composting and environmental issues.”

“It is more difficult to recycle kitchen waste in apartments”

Xuan, Founder of the City Composting Network

In Victoria, most residents of independent houses will receive kitchen waste bins issued by the Council, commonly known as “green bins”, for residents to collect their own kitchen waste and push it to the roadside at the specified time for the municipal department to collect it. However, Xuan pointed out that this method is difficult to implement in apartment buildings, and apartments face more challenges in conducting community unified composting. She explained: “If it’s a detached house, I put the bin in my house and I can make sure I put it in the right things. But in an apartment building, although I can put it in the right things, I can’t guarantee that my neighbours can do the same. So in the end, whose responsibility is it? Who will make sure that the right items is put in the bin and the wrong items is excluded? This question is difficult to clarify.”

“Melbourne is learning from the Singapore model“

Melbourne Mayor Nick Rees

Melbourne Mayor Nick Rees said in a statement to SBS Chinese: “There are currently eight high-rise apartment buildings in Melbourne, and more than 2,000 households have participated in the pilot project of food waste and garden organic waste recycling services. Since its launch in 2021, this innovative project has successfully recycled more than 40 tons of food waste. We have learned from the successful experience of advanced environmental protection countries such as Singapore to design and implement this service to reduce food waste and environmental pollution. We are encouraged by the enthusiasm and support of residents and plan to further improve the project based on feedback.”

“It is a pity that China’s food waste is not handled well at the end”

Zhang Xuehua, chief scientist of ecological research at Nanjing University

Supplied by Zhang Xuehua.

Similar to Singapore, China, as a country with a highly concentrated urban population, has also vigorously promoted garbage sorting in recent years. Zhang Xuehua, chief scientist of ecological research at Nanjing University, mentioned: “For example, Shanghai launched a city-wide garbage source sorting in July 2019, with the main purpose of separating kitchen waste. However, the problem of terminal treatment of separated kitchen waste has not been solved. As a result, most kitchen waste is eventually mixed incinerated or landfilled, and even anaerobic fermentation treatment methods are rarely used, which is very regrettable. So composting is still a very niche project in China at present.”

Zhang Luodan, technical director of Hangzhou Kitchen Waste Treatment Company, said: “In 2020, we conducted an audit, and the results showed that about 60% of kitchen waste was used for incineration and about 30% was used for landfill. The remaining 10% used other technologies, including composting.” In addition, it is difficult for large cities like Hangzhou to find land to build centralized composting plants.

“Our actions are forcing policies to be changed”

Zhang Xuehua, chief scientist of ecological research at Nanjing University

However, experts believe that as the world’s largest carbon emitter, China must keep up with the new model of environmental protection in the world to promote the development of a circular economy. Currently, the team led by Professor Zhang Xuehua has carried out pilot projects for kitchen waste composting in multiple communities in seven provinces and nine cities in China. She further stated: “Whether in the private sector, academia, or public welfare organizations or community levels, the greatest value of promoting community composting lies in public publicity, so that the (Chinese) government can see its feasibility. At present, our actions are somewhat like forcing policies to be introduced. We have introduced a feasible plan, and we hope to eventually prompt the government to take this path (promoting community composting).”

Supplied by Zhang Xuehua.

In addition, Professor Zhang Xuehua also pointed out that China’s national conditions are different from those of Western countries such as Australia. Australia adopts a pilot model of a small area of ​​several buildings. China’s pilot phase will be expanded to dozens of densely populated communities, and in the future, as long as the policy is implemented, community composting is expected to be widely popularized in a short period of time. Zhang Xuehua emphasized: “As long as the Chinese government decides to promote this work, the relevant technology, talents and public acceptance are all available.”

Watch the full story in Chinese:

Further information

Xuan has published a report about the pilot project she undertook in Melbourne. For more information see City Compost Network