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On July 1, Shanghai launched Chinas most ambitious garbage separation and recycling programme ever, as the country confronts a rising tide of trash created by increasing consumption."We need a really big push and I think the government realised that.The scheme is a business opportunity for others, with start-ups offering app-based garbage collection and sorting services.Several factors are blamed, including rapid growth and the Communist Partys ongoing push to develop a domestic consumer economy to lessen reliance on the outside world.That is still less than the worlds trash titan, the United States, which produced 258 million tonnes.But tempers have flared.""Shanghai has lots of people, and so much rubbish.China produced just 30 million tonnes of trash in 1980, but that soared to 210 million in 2017, according to World Bank figures.Government officials declined AFP interview requests."Shanghai is piloting a programme set for eventual nationwide adoption in what would likely be the worlds largest waste separation and recycling scheme -- and it is desperately needed.But the programme is the talk of Chinas biggest city for other reasons as well: confusion over rules and fines for infractions, and thousands of volunteers inspecting citizens private garbage each day."The big shift is that it is much more centralised and its incentivised now. There is really a sense of urgency," said Alizee Buysschaert, founder and director of environmental consultancy Zero Waste Shanghai.China is spending billions of dollars on waste-to-energy incineration plants across the country, but repeated protests have flared over fears they will emit toxins.- So much rubbish -Previous city-level sorting schemes have fizzled, but Buysschaert sees a difference this time.Fines range from 200 yuan (USD 29) for household infractions to 50,000 yuan for businesses, though authorities are going easy on imposing them for now. Every day, Shanghais 25 million people alone produce around 26,000 tonnes –- equal in weight to the Statue of Liberty. But China is gaining fast and the World Bank predicts Chinese garbage could reach a staggering 500 million tonnes annually by 2030.China: Every day, Shanghai produces around 26,000 tonnes of garbage –- equal in weight to the Statue of LibertyNie Feng used to toss his rubbish outside his Shanghai flat without a thought while rushing to work, but saving China from a garbage crisis now requires him to consult a complex diagram each morning.With a phased national roll-out set to gain pace next year, Shanghais experience has become one of the most talked-about topics in the country, though sometimes for the wrong reasons."We have to get this right before the fines really start.Led by the likes of Alibaba, Chinese e-commerce has exploded, producing billions of parcel deliveries annually with their associated packaging.The government indicated its alarm last year by banning certain imports of foreign waste that it used to accept for years for recycling, a move that has up-ended global garbage flows.- Growing anger -Last week authorities in the central city of Wuhan sent riot police to quell protests by thousands of citizens against construction of a waste incinerator.The issue is straining municipal services nationwide and prompting unrest.""We werent used to it at first.But she has been won over by a noticeable reduction in flies and odour since sorting started, she says.4 billion consumers, China is becoming swamped by trash.Nie examines a wall-sized diagram saying fish and pork bones must be separated from each other, and from the plastic bag he carries them in. Chinese media said a 33-year-old woman was detained last week for choking a volunteer sorting inspector unconscious during a rules dispute.Authorities say strict sorting is crucial, making it far easier to separately process recycled items, hazardous waste, compost and biomass."Its for the good of our homeland, but we keep making mistakes," said Nie, a trading company staffer, laughing as he struggled to separate the bags contents into various bins."The propaganda on television says we face great harm if we dont separate. Thats really a game-changer because now everyone is talking about it and everyone is involved and on their toes," she said.With its 1.Critics have taken aim at seemingly contradictory sorting guidelines and the limited daily hours during which dumping is allowed, which causes problems for those with irregular schedules.True to form, the Communist Party is pushing obeisance via a public campaign larded with red banners emblazoned with revolutionary exhortations such as "storm the citadel of trash sorting. So much!". It was really inconvenient," said 67-year-old pensioner Zhou Shenzhu. Wuhan has shelved its plan, for now.Chinese cosmetic packaging manufacturers media reports also have indicated that a lot of garbage was still entering bins unsorted