Officials consider gradual phase-in of garbage sorting

Beijing residents might be asked to separate only their kitchen garbage for now before being asked to classify all their household waste, experts said.

Six hundred communities in the Chinese capital adopted a pilot program for garbage classification in 2012. The municipal government hopes the program can reach 60 percent of residents this year, according to a government work report.

Wang Weiping, a deputy to the Beijing People's Congress, the city's legislature, said teaching residents the classification system is important but reaching the government's goal of 60 percent coverage will be difficult.