Residents in south China's city of Guangzhou will need to think twice before throwing garbage as they could be fined up to 50 yuan (about 7.8 U.S.dollars) for putting it in the wrong bin.
Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province, will implement a garbage classification regulation, the first of its kind in China, on April 1, said Lin Qi, deputy director of the city government's legal office, on Friday.
The regulation requires residents and work units to put garbage into four separate bins, identified as recycle waste, kitchen waste, hazardous waste and other waste, said Lin.
Residents who fail to correctly dispose of their waste will face a fine of up to 50 yuan and the amount for work units violating the rules will be 500 yuan for each cubic meter of waste, he said.
City management officers, neighborhood committee personnel, community property management staff as well as volunteers will be trained to promote waste sorting among the public, he added.
Guangzhou's city management department will be in charge of enforcing the rules, said Lin, without elaborating how the regulation will be enforced.
"The purpose is to help citizens develop a habit of sorting garbage, rather than the fine itself," said Zhang Jianguo, deputy head of the city management committee.
By adopting the new regulation, the city aims to set up a sound garbage classification and disposal system by 2012, Lin Qi said.
