JingSu: Creating value from plastic waste along the Yangtze

Creating Value from Suzhou’s Food and Beverage Containers

‍

The explosion of food delivery in China and the corresponding growth of single-use plastic containers, cups and food trays has led to a massive increase in plastic waste in the country.

In the city of Suzhou, GIZ, Germany’s development cooperation agency, is addressing this problem through an integrated and sustainable system that manages plastic waste generated from single-use Food and Beverage Containers (FaBCs). GIZ has implemented JingSu, an Alliance-funded project to support the city of Suzhou in creating value from plastic waste.

The JingSu initiative brings together local authorities, businesses, educational institutions, NGOs, and residents to implement a comprehensive and sustainable system for managing food and beverage container waste.

The project has built capacities at the city level to monitor, collect, sort, and recycle low-value plastic waste; raised awareness among residents; and is using data-driven tracking platforms to increase traceability and recyclability; and explore innovative business models and processing solutions for low-value plastics.

Working with local waste collector, Suzhou Urban Construction & Investment Development Co., Ltd (CTZS), JingSu has set up more than 197 drop-off points in three Suzhou districts. A further 101 collection points have been set up in the city’s primary and junior middle schools. Collection began in stages from June 2022. In 2023, the project engaged with office buildings, government offices, and commercial areas to collect plastic waste for recycling.

‍

By integrating a collection and sorting system for single-use FaBCs into the city’s waste management, it also increases the scope of what is considered recyclable.

Plastic waste collected under the JingSu initiative is transported to the newly upgraded Baiyangwan sorting centre, which began operations in October 2022. The centre has a capacity for processing around 60 metric tonnes of all recyclables a day, which are then baled and sold to recyclers. By December 2023, the centre was processing over 1,200 metric tonnes of FaBCs a month — well beyond its target.

To date, JingSu has collected nearly 20,000 metric tonnes of food and beverage containers.

The project is also conducting a “Plastic-Free Childhood” programme that rewards school children with recycled plastic stationary based on the number of food containers they collect.