With the Lantern Festival earlier this week marking the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations, Longhua District is encouraging residents to dispose of holiday waste in a more environmentally friendly way through a series of recycling initiatives.

Residents select decorative New Year flowers at a Spring Festival flower market in Longhua on Feb. 12. In response to the seasonal surge in household waste following the Spring Festival, Longhua released a recycling guide for holiday items and traditional New Year plants. Chen Jianhua

To address the surge in household waste after the Spring Festival, the district recently released a recycling guide for holiday items and traditional New Year plants, promoting resource reuse and greener living. The initiative follows a citywide campaign encouraging residents to sort waste and recycle during the post-holiday cleanup period.

During the Spring Festival, decorative New Year flowers and kumquat trees are commonly displayed in homes and communities as symbols of prosperity and good fortune. Once the holiday season ends, however, many households face the challenge of disposing of wilted plants and other festive items. Longhua’s recycling program offers residents a convenient and environmentally responsible solution.

Residents are encouraged to recycle items generated during holiday cleanups — including old clothes, small household appliances, paper products and plastic bottles — through smart recycling bins installed in residential communities. After depositing recyclable materials, users can receive instant cashback rewards, helping turn household waste into reusable resources.

Gardeners replant discarded Spring Festival flowers in a garden in Longhua District. Chen Jianhua

For the disposal of New Year flowers and kumquat trees, Longhua has established a free collection and recycling system. Residents can place unwanted plants at designated temporary storage areas within their residential compounds, where property management staff will coordinate pickup with recycling companies.

The collection period runs from Feb. 24 to April 3, with recycling companies providing collection services within 48 hours of receiving a booking.

Collected plants are dismantled and sorted to maximize reuse. Flower pots and soil are reused, while plant materials and support frames are processed into compost or biomass fuel.