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Student representative

Student Representative

Hello everyone!

Have you noticed that a few years ago, everyone was talking about waste sorting?

We had volunteers standing next to the bins, checking our trash.

But now… it feels like nobody cares anymore.

So, has waste sorting really disappeared?

The short answer is: no, but it has changed.

Today, let me explain what really happened behind the scenes.

First, why does it feel like waste sorting is gone?

Three reasons:

One – No more volunteers standing by the bins.

Two – No more stress about throwing things in the wrong bin.

Three – We barely see news about waste sorting anymore.

So yes, on the surface, it looks like people have given up.

But the real story is deeper.

So why did people start to "lay back"?

Here are four main reasons:

First – It was forced.

At the beginning, people sorted trash because they were afraid of fines or volunteers.

But when the supervision stopped, many people stopped too.

Second – The system behind it was weak.

Imagine you carefully sort your trash, but then the garbage truck comes and mixes everything together.

Why would you keep trying?

Third – People got tired.

It’s fun at first, but after a while, it feels like too much work.

Fourth – It costs too much money.

New bins, more trucks, paid volunteers… many cities simply couldn’t afford to keep going.

So, the movement slowed down. But wait — that’s not the end of the story.

Here comes the interesting part.

Even though people started to care less about sorting, the technology behind waste burning improved a lot.

Let me give you three big upgrades:

Upgrade one – Cleaner burning.

Old incinerators produced black smoke and bad smells.

But today, the smoke is almost invisible. The new standards are even stricter than in Europe.

Upgrade two – More electricity.

In the past, one ton of waste could produce 280 kWh of electricity.

Now? It can produce 450 kWh or more — enough to power a home for two months!

Upgrade three – More eco-friendly.

People used to say “not in my backyard” to any new incinerator.

But now, many incinerators look like gardens. You can even visit them.

Public acceptance has gone up from 30% to 75%.

So, a better way to say this is:

Before, we had to cut the vegetables perfectly because the pot was bad.

Now, we have a super smart pot — even if you cut badly, it still cooks a good meal.

So, does that mean waste sorting is useless?

No, not at all.

But its role has changed.

In the past – without sorting, waste couldn’t be handled properly.

Now – even without perfect sorting, the system can still handle it safely.

In the past – we relied on fines and volunteers.

Now – we rely on technology and better incinerators.

In the past – all the pressure was on you, the resident.

Now – some of that pressure has moved to the backend factories.

So, waste sorting won’t disappear.

But it will slowly turn from a “national movement” into a “daily habit.”

You don’t need to feel guilty if you make a mistake. Engineers and modern machines have your back.

So let me end with this:

Waste sorting hasn’t disappeared.

It has just been hidden by much better incineration technology.

Next time you throw away your trash, think about this:

Will this bag of waste become electricity? Or will it become fertilizer?

One small action from you can make a big difference on the backend.

This is the entire content of my speech. Thank you all for listening.

Hello everyone!

I wonder if everyone has noticed that, a few years ago, everyone was talking about waste sorting.

Volunteers stand by the trash bins, specifically checking the waste we discard.

But now… it seems no one mentions it anymore.

So, has waste sorting really disappeared?

The short answer is: no, but it has changed.

Today, I’m going to tell you what really happened behind the scenes.

First, why do we feel that waste sorting has disappeared?

There are three reasons:
 

First, there are no volunteers by the trash bins.

Second, don’t worry about being criticized for throwing it away by mistake.

Third, news about waste sorting has almost disappeared as well.
 

So, on the surface, it seems as though everyone has given up.

But the true story is far more profound than that.

So why have people started to “let their guard down”?

There are mainly four reasons:
 

First, it was forced at the time.

At first, people sorted their waste out of fear of fines and to avoid drawing the attention of volunteers.

But when oversight is absent, many people no longer persevere.

Second, the backend systems are unable to keep up.

Imagine this: you’ve painstakingly sorted your trash, only for the garbage truck to come along and haul it all back together.

Will you keep at it?

Third, people are tired.

At first it seemed exciting, but after a while, it became too much of a hassle.

Fourth, the cost is too high.

New trash bins, more garbage trucks, paid volunteers… many cities simply can’t keep up.

As a result, the enthusiasm for waste sorting gradually faded.

But—this is not the end of the story.

Here comes the interesting part.

Although public enthusiasm for waste sorting has waned, waste incineration technology has made significant advances.

Let me share three upgrades with you:

Upgrade 1: Cleaner combustion.

In the past, the incineration plant emitted black smoke and an unpleasant odor.

Now, the smoke is almost invisible. The new environmental standards are even stricter than those in Europe.

Upgrade 2: Increased power generation.

In the past, one ton of waste could generate 280 kilowatt-hours of electricity.

And now? It can generate 450 degrees or even more—enough to power a household for two months!

Upgrade 3: More environmentally friendly and user-friendly.

In the past, whenever people heard that an incineration plant was going to be built, they would all say, “Don’t build it in my backyard.”

But nowadays, many incineration plants look like gardens and are open to visitors.

Public acceptance has increased from 30% to 75%.

In other words:

In the past, because the pot wasn’t very good, we had to cut the vegetables perfectly.

Now, we have a super-smart cooker—no matter how poorly you chop the ingredients, it can still whip up a delicious meal.

So does that mean waste sorting is pointless?

No, not at all.

It’s just that its role has changed.

In the past, without sorting, waste could not be properly managed.

Now—even if the classification is incomplete, the system can still handle it safely.

In the past—relied on fines and volunteers.

Now—thanks to technology and improved incineration plants.

In the past— all the pressure was on you, the resident.

Now, some of the pressure has shifted to the backend factories.

So, waste sorting isn’t going away.

It will simply gradually evolve from a “national sport” into an “everyday habit.”

Don’t feel too guilty if you make a mistake—engineers and modern machines will have your back.

Finally, I would like to say:

Waste sorting has not disappeared,

It has simply been “hidden” by more advanced incineration technologies.

Next time you throw away trash, you might want to think about:

Will this bag of trash turn into electricity, or into fertilizer?

A single small action on your part can make a huge difference on the backend.

That concludes my presentation for today. Thank you all!