可回收物
kě huíshōu wù
Recyclable materials
Look for materials that the local system accepts for recycling. A package’s material, cleanliness, and local instructions can matter more than its shape.
BEGINNER MANDARIN · CITY LIFE
Read the sign. Ask the next question.
A source-backed guide to Chinese waste-sorting vocabulary, local variation, and the small repair that turns a confident guess into a usable public interaction.
THE REAL TASK
A category is a hypothesis.
A Chinese waste-sorting sign is a small public-language lesson: the hard part is not memorizing four translations, but noticing what the venue is asking you to do. Read the category, look at the bin or pictogram, and ask when the object is ambiguous. The same item can also depend on whether it is clean, contaminated, food-soiled, or part of a local collection rule.
This guide focuses on the language and decision sequence a visitor can actually use: recognize 可回收物、有害垃圾、湿垃圾、干垃圾 and their common explanatory labels, ask 这个扔哪儿？, and repair a guess without pretending that one city’s bin system is a national legal code. Shanghai’s municipal rules and public guidance provide the main example; local labels and collection practice can differ elsewhere.
READ THE LABEL
Four labels, more than four decisions.
湿垃圾 / 厨余垃圾
shī lājī / chúyú lājī
Wet / kitchen waste
Shanghai commonly explains this food-related category as 湿垃圾; other places may use 厨余垃圾 or a related label. Follow the venue’s current sign for liquids, bones, and containers.
有害垃圾
yǒuhài lājī
Hazardous waste
A category for items that need special handling, such as certain batteries or chemicals. Do not infer the rule for a product from its brand or packaging alone.
干垃圾 / 其他垃圾
gān lājī / qítā lājī
Dry / residual waste
Shanghai commonly explains this residual category as 干垃圾; other places may use 其他垃圾 or a related label. It does not mean “anything I do not recognize.”
SIX PRACTICAL DECISIONS
Make uncertainty sayable.
01
Read the noun before translating it
物 means material or thing, 余 refers to leftovers, 害 signals harm, and 其他 means other. The characters provide a useful first hypothesis, but the bin’s examples and local instructions are the final practical clue.
02
Ask with 这个, not a long explanation
Point to the object and say 这个扔哪儿？ (“Where does this go?”). This is efficient when you know the task but not the category. Add 请问 for a more explicit polite opener.
03
Separate the object from its condition
A cup, container, tissue, or food package may be treated differently depending on residue, material, and the venue’s guidance. Ask about the actual item in front of you instead of relying on a universal internet chart.
04
Shanghai is an example, not all of China
Shanghai’s official public guidance and regulations are useful for learning the four-category vocabulary and a city-specific framework. They cannot establish the exact collection process in another city, hotel, campus, or scenic area.
05
A correction is part of the task
If someone points out a different bin, say 好的，谢谢 or 原来要放这里. The goal is successful repair, not proving that your first guess was right.
06
Never use category language to handle hazardous material casually
Language practice is not disposal or safety advice. For batteries, chemicals, medicines, or unknown substances, follow the venue’s current instructions and seek staff help rather than improvising from a translation.
LANGUAGE MOVES
Point, name, repair.
01
Point and ask
请问，这个扔哪儿？
Qǐngwèn, zhège rēng nǎr?
Excuse me, where does this go?
02
Name the material
这是塑料瓶。
Zhè shì sùliào píng.
This is a plastic bottle.
03
Check the category
是可回收物吗？
Shì kě huíshōu wù ma?
Is it recyclable?
04
Ask about a residue
里面还有汤，怎么办？
Lǐmiàn hái yǒu tāng, zěnme bàn?
There is still soup inside. What should I do?
05
Accept a correction
好的，谢谢你。
Hǎo de, xièxie nǐ.
Okay, thank you.
06
Read the sign
请按标识投放。
Qǐng àn biāoshí tóufàng.
Please dispose of it according to the sign.
BEGINNER QUESTIONS
The assumptions worth leaving behind.
How do I ask where something goes?
Point to it and say 请问，这个扔哪儿？. 这个 means “this one,” 扔 means “throw away,” and 哪儿 asks where. You do not need to know the category before asking.
What are the four common Shanghai categories?
Public Shanghai guidance uses 可回收物, 有害垃圾, 湿垃圾/厨余垃圾 in different periods or descriptions, and 干垃圾/其他垃圾 in related public explanations. Read the current local sign: labels and implementation can change, so do not flatten every city into one list.
Does 可回收物 mean every plastic item?
No. The category name is a useful clue, not a guarantee for every plastic object. Check the local examples and the item’s condition, especially when food residue or mixed materials are involved.
What should I do with batteries or chemicals?
Treat 有害垃圾 as a recognition cue, not a complete disposal instruction. Follow the venue’s current sign and ask staff when uncertain; this page is not hazardous-material guidance.
What can I say after someone corrects me?
好的，谢谢 or 原来要放这里 acknowledges the correction and lets the interaction continue. A successful repair is more useful than arguing over a memorized category chart.
Language practice, not disposal advice.
This page teaches Mandarin vocabulary and a repair sequence for reading waste-sorting signs. It does not provide a current legal, municipal, environmental, hazardous-material, or recycling guarantee. Shanghai is used as a clearly labeled case; follow the current instructions where you are.
ChineseNuance is AI-only. Software provides the explanation, controlled practice, feedback, and next repair. There is no human teacher, sanitation worker, or manual disposal service behind this page.
METHOD SOURCES
- Shanghai Municipal Government · Regulations of Shanghai Municipality on Municipal Solid Waste Management
Provides the municipal legal context and four-category definitions for Shanghai; read as a city-specific source, not universal national advice.
- Shanghai Municipal Government · Guide to Sorting Garbage
Shows public-facing category explanations and examples while keeping the guide grounded in Shanghai’s system.
- Shanghai Municipal Government · A guide to waste classification
Provides updated city guidance on recyclable, hazardous, wet, and dry waste and emphasizes checking the current local instructions.
- Shanghai Municipal Government · Opinions on implementing the whole-process sorting system
Places household sorting in the city’s broader implementation system without replacing the immediate sign on a bin.