Online service eases headache of disposal of large garbage

An online service for collecting large-sized garbage, such as furniture, is helping solve the problems that come with trying to dispose of them, making it extremely popular among residents in China.

(Photo/CCTV News)

Large-sized garbage has often brought headaches for people trying to get rid of them. When a man surnamed Li, who lives in Beijing’s Chaoyang district, needed to get rid of some used furniture as he wanted to rent out his apartment, he took photos of it and uploaded the pictures to an online flea market to sell it.

But with no one buying his furniture as the rental period approached, Li had to pay more than 600 yuan (about $93.7) to get someone to take the furniture away.

Li said the online flea market doesn't recycle large furniture, and garbage stations also refuse to accept them.

Moreover, recyclers are also reluctant to collect large furniture, as they have to hire someone to collect it, and it’s not easy for them to sell.

Li is not the only person to be annoyed by these problems. Many residential compounds have set up temporary storage facilities for large-sized garbage, but residents have to pay to have their furniture stored there. For example, it costs 50 yuan to use the service for a single sofa or mattress. What's more, oversize furniture is not allowed at these facilities.

To solve these problems, more and more residents have turned to online channels by booking a paid door-to-door service via a large garbage collection service mini program.

According to one mini program, users need to pay over 100 yuan for a double bed mattress to be collected, and about 400 yuan for a three-door wardrobe measuring about 2 meters in width and 2 meters in height.

To facilitate the process of collecting, transferring, and disposing of large garbage, Haidian district in Beijing has established 29 transfer stations for this kind of waste, covering all 29 of its neighborhoods. Residents can either book a paid door-to-door collection service via a mini program, or transport their used furniture to a transfer station by themselves without paying disposal fees.

Except for the paid door-to-door collection service, residents do not have to pay anything for the disposal of their large garbage, as the fees will be paid by recycling companies first before receiving government subsidies, said Zhao Ji, director of a department responsible for recycling in Haidian district.