Apps, image recognition and more: How China is waging digital war against garbage

Garbage sorting is a bigger challenge than garbage disposal and China is seeking the help of various technologies to educate its citizens and tackle the global problem.

On July 1, Shanghai began a compulsory garbage sorting program which requires households and companies to classify their wastes before dumping them, TechCrunch reported.

To help ease the task of sorting, tech giants including WeChat and Baidu have come up with search features to help people identify waste as wet, recyclable, toxic, or dry.

In addition to mini apps, valet service for garbage pickups has also been introduced.

For instance, Alibaba's food delivery arm, Ele.me, is offering 'throw out the trash' service. Households have been asked to place QR codes on trash bags to help the government trace the origin of the waste.