HSK 3 · Article · 239 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/how-does-garbage-sorting-work-in-china

你是什么垃圾？

How does garbage sorting work in China?

Name: ________________ Date: ________

二零一九年èrlíngyījiǔnián七月qīyuè，上海shànghǎi人rén见面jiànmiàn的de时候shíhou，常常chángcháng笑xiào着zhe问wèn：“你nǐ是shì什么shénme垃圾lājī？”这zhè不是búshì骂人màrén。从cóng那个nàge月yuè开始kāishǐ，上海shànghǎi人rén扔rēng东西dōngxī以前yǐqián，都dōu要yào先xiān把bǎ它们tāmen分开fēnkāi。

上海shànghǎi的de垃圾lājī分fēn四sì种zhǒng。第一dìyī种zhǒng是shì能néng再zài用yòng的de，比如bǐrú纸zhǐ、瓶子píngzi和hé旧jiù衣服yīfu。第二dì’èr种zhǒng是shì对duì人rén不好bùhǎo的de，比如bǐrú用yòng过guò的de手机shǒujī电池diànchí和hé药yào。第三dìsān种zhǒng是shì“湿shī垃圾lājī”，比如bǐrú吃chī剩shèng的de饭菜fàncài和hé水果shuíguǒ。第四dìsì种zhǒng是shì“干gān垃圾lājī”，就是jiùshì别的biéde东西dōngxī。

湿shī的de和hé干gān的最zuì难nán分fēn。有yǒu一个yígè简单jiǎndān的de办法bànfǎ：小猪xiǎozhū能néng吃chī的de，是shì湿shī的de；小猪xiǎozhū不能bùnéng吃chī的de，是shì干gān的de。

很hěn多duō小区xiǎoqū只zhǐ在zài早上zǎoshang和hé晚上wǎnshang的de几jǐ个gè小时xiǎoshí让ràng大家dàjiā来lái扔rēng。有的时候yǒude-shíhou，旁边pángbiān还hái会huì站zhàn着zhe一yí个gè人rén，看kàn大家dàjiā有没有yǒuméiyǒu分fēn对duì。后来hòulái，北京běijīng和hé很hěn多duō别的biéde城市chéngshì也yě开始kāishǐ这样zhèyàng做zuò了le。

你nǐ来lái试一试shìyíshì：一个yígè用yòng过guò的de纸zhǐ杯子bēizi，是shì什么shénme垃圾lājī？

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
笑	xiào	to laugh; to smile
过	guò	(particle) marks a past experience: have ever
药	yào	medicine; drug
旁边	pángbiān	beside; next to; nearby
站	zhàn	station; stop
开始	kāishǐ	to begin; to start; beginning
这样	zhèyàng	like this; this way
见面	jiànmiàn	to meet; to see each other
常常	chángcháng	often; frequently
以前	yǐqián	before; previously; formerly
先	xiān	first; in advance
分开	fēnkāi	to separate; to part

English (for the teacher)

In July 2019, when people in Shanghai met, they often asked with a laugh: “What kind of garbage are you?” It wasn’t an insult. From that month on, before throwing anything away, people in Shanghai had to sort it first.

Shanghai’s rubbish comes in four kinds. The first is things that can be used again, such as paper, bottles and old clothes. The second is things that are bad for people, such as used phone batteries and medicine. The third is “wet waste”, such as leftover food and fruit. The fourth is “dry waste”: everything else.

Wet and dry are the hardest to tell apart. There’s an easy trick: what a piglet can eat is wet; what a piglet can’t eat is dry.

Many residential compounds let people bring their rubbish only for a few hours in the morning and evening. Sometimes someone even stands beside the bins, checking whether everyone has sorted correctly. Later, Beijing and many other cities started doing the same.

Try it yourself: a used paper cup. What kind of garbage is it?