ON MONDAY, Shanghai's first regulation on domestic waste management will come into effect, which requires residents to sort their garbage before putting it into garbage cans. There are potential fines of up to 200 yuan ($29) for individual violators and up to 50,000 yuan for offending organizations. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

There are still days to go before the regulation officially comes into effect, yet jokes about which bit of an item goes where have already been gaining popularity online. In some sense, they contain complaints from local residents because sorting their waste means more work.

But it is something that should be rolled out nationwide, as it is for the common good of all. Sorted garbage is a resource－paper and metal can be recycled, and kitchen waste can be fermented to produce energy.

However, unsorted garbage can only be piled up.

Scientists predict that the whole Earth might be covered by garbage by the end of the century. We need to act, and act now. And one of the things we can do is to sort our garbage.

Some argue that there are professional garbage collectors who can do the job. It should be noted that the working environment for garbage collectors can be hazardous to health. For instance, there are often glass or metal pieces hidden inside unsorted garbage, which cut their hands and might cause fatal infection in the dirty environment. So by sorting garbage, we are also honoring our social responsibility by avoiding making life harder for those who struggle to make a living.

Garbage sorting is nothing new. Many cities in China have tried to encourage residents to sort their waste. However, none made substantial progress. But on June 5, the State Council, China's Cabinet, approved a draft law for curbing solid waste pollution. One day later, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development issued a draft plan to implement garbage sorting in cities across the country. And Shanghai has taken the lead.

Let's hope garbage sorting can become the daily habit of all as soon as possible.