Beijing bins show recycling awareness

Every time I take out the trash, I am made more aware of the city's growing rubbish crisis.

The two rubbish bins - one marked with the Chinese characters "recyclable" and the other "non-recyclable" - are usually brimming with all sorts of rubbish. It appears that not everybody knows the difference between the two containers.

I wonder if hazardous waste items like batteries, paint and herbicides are also disposed in the bins. There are no household hazardous waste collection facilities in Chinese communities.