Residents of China’s Zhejiang province will find their credit scores to be complete trash if they fail to sort their garbage, yet another attempt from the Chinese government to punish those not actively performing as an upright citizen.
A new regulation recently passed in Zhejiang can condemn enterprises, organizations and individuals who don’t sort their trash, causing them to be dealt an infraction to their credit histories and impairing their eligibility for credit.
Such a regulation was likely made to encourage citizens to not be lazy slobs considering the province (and other parts of China) has overwhelming issues with proper garbage disposal, as seen by many at the country’s luxurious beaches.
The appears to be a part of China’s massive endeavor towards creating a “social credit score” for all citizens by 2020, a rating that would be altered based upon a person’s misdeeds (and explicitly tied to their online accounts) and will be used as a way to punish citizens by denying them opportunities or services.
According to Washington Post’s China correspondent, more of these such laws are coming into effect:
While harsh, such an aggressive push (as previously done in regards to pollution) may be needed to aid in helping China clean up its act…
Wouldn’t make any difference to me. Don’t take out loans (specially with banks), & sort my garbage.
You don’t understand the larger picture.
For years the USA and UK were sending post consumer plastic and metal to China for recycling.
There wasn’t a high enough profit margin for US recycling companies so they started sending dirty, mixed plastic and metals with high traces of cadmium and zirconium. These plastic materials are too costly for the US to recycle, and the metals are toxic and possibly carcinogenic, and would end up in landfills.
To put an end to the US sending trash, China implemented “National Sword” import laws restricting the quality of materials they would allow. The US kept sending trash wrapped in acceptable material. In 2018 China banned most all post consumer recyclables, and started a nationwide effort to collect their own recyclable material, and not buy it from foreign sources.
http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/national-sword-policy-constricts-u-s-recycling-industry-1.2289603
The US recycling industry is very upset and even demanded China take a percentage of their trash!
National Sword policies were adopted so quickly, harsh penalties had to be enacted to make up what material would have been imported.
Washington Post’s China correspondent is a Finn or married to a Finn, In China. Madness!
why can’t we implement something like it?
The movie Brazil comes to mind of course this will not work and may even be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tu0pv-hkNPc