On the afternoon of June 2nd, the Shanghai Municipal Government held a press conference. The Deputy Secretary-General of the Municipal Government and Director of the Municipal Waste Sorting and Reduction Joint Office introduced the "Shanghai Municipal Waste Sorting Quality Improvement and Efficiency Enhancement Three-Year Action Plan (2026-2028)". Representatives from the Shanghai Municipal Greenery and Public Sanitation Bureau, the Shanghai Municipal Postal Administration, the Shanghai Municipal Housing Administration, and the Shanghai Municipal Urban Management and Law Enforcement Bureau attended the press conference and answered reporters' questions.
Since the implementation of the "Shanghai Municipal Regulations on Waste Management" in 2019, Shanghai has basically established a comprehensive waste sorting system, and the resource utilization rate has continued to improve. To further consolidate achievements, solve problems, and promote green and low-carbon transformation and development, Shanghai has formulated and issued the "Action Plan".
The Action Plan has developed 4 quantitative indicators and 18 key tasks in 6 aspects. The goal is to further improve Shanghai's comprehensive household waste sorting system by 2028, with wet waste accounting for over 35% of the total, a purity of approximately 95%, a recycling rate exceeding 48%, and low-value recyclables accounting for over 25% of total recyclables.
Strengthening the reduction of single-use plastic products in key areas, implementing control over single-use items in the tourism and accommodation industry, deepening the governance of food waste, and continuing the "Clean Plate Campaign." Optimizing green packaging design for goods, strengthening the supervision of excessive packaging, promoting the green transformation of express delivery packaging and the procurement of recycled materials, and achieving a 14% recyclable packaging ratio for same-city express deliveries.
At a press conference, He Yingze, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Postal Administration, stated that the Shanghai Administration has focused on collaborative governance and ensured effective implementation, promoting collaboration between the e-commerce and express delivery industries, and strictly controlling excessive packaging at the source. By the end of 2025, e-commerce parcels meeting delivery safety standards had largely eliminated secondary packaging; all express delivery outlets in the city have completely banned the use of non-degradable plastic bags, tape, and other similar items, reducing plastic waste at the source; at the same time, it has strengthened departmental supervision, industry guidance, and corporate responsibility implementation, laying a solid foundation for green governance of express packaging.
Next, the Shanghai Municipal Postal Administration will continue to improve the effectiveness of governance in accordance with the requirements of the city's three-year action plan for improving the quality and efficiency of household waste classification.
First, it will focus on multi-party collaborative governance. The governance of express packaging will be fully integrated into the overall work of waste classification, strengthening inter-departmental collaboration and upstream and downstream coordination, improving joint supervision and information sharing mechanisms, and ensuring the responsibilities of the government, enterprises, industry, and citizens are fulfilled to build a governance pattern of joint management.
Second, it will focus on source classification and reduction. We will continue to deepen collaboration between e-commerce and express delivery, vigorously promote simplified packaging, direct shipping from the origin, and reusable packaging, and strictly address excessive and repetitive packaging issues to reduce the increase in household waste at the source and effectively alleviate the burden of waste sorting.
Thirdly, we will focus on the recycling system. In conjunction with the household waste sorting, collection, and disposal system, we will improve the layout of express packaging recycling points, promote the classified recycling, standardized disposal, and reuse of packaging; at the same time, we will increase publicity and guidance, mobilizing industry personnel and the general public to actively participate in green delivery and practice a simple and low-carbon lifestyle.
