Garbage fee hike aimed at junking bad habits

Beijing wants residents to dump their bad habits and produce less garbage, and is hiking garbage treatment fees by 46 percent this year to give them a nudge in the right direction, Guan Kuoshan, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC) said.

Guan, a retired sanitation worker from Chongwen district, said on the sidelines of the annual meeting, that garbage treatment fees in Beijing would be increasing from 205 yuan a ton to 300 yuan this year.

Guan, who has been a member of the annual sessions of the NPC for the past three years, believes the increased fee will push districts and counties in Beijing to find ways to reduce waste in their areas.