Palace Museum goes zero waste

BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Palace Museum is becoming waste-free as the 720,000-square-meter structure has managed to reduce the number of trash bins to 110 sets in areas open to the public.

It is a decrease from 310 sets logged in January 2020, when a zero-waste campaign was launched, said the museum.

While protecting features of the six-century-old historical relic, the action also helps visitors and tourists get into the habit of creating less waste, said the museum.

The museum also recycled more than 32,000 plastic bottles to make cultural and creative products between June 2021 and October 2023, equivalent to a reduction in carbon emission by 931 kilograms.

By launching the campaign, the Palace Museum is taking a science-based and meticulous approach to waste. The target is to minimize the generation of waste that needs to be buried or burned and bring the amount of such waste infinitely close to zero, said the museum.

So far, approximately 3,000 museum staff members, 40,000 tourist guides, and 21 million visitors have participated in the campaign.