City officials recently announced that Xiamen has processed approximately 47,900 tons of low-value recyclables and reduced carbon emissions by 81,800 tons since the launch of China's first low-value recyclables sorting center in Xiamen at the end of 2022. The reduction is equivalent to saving about 53,800 tons of petroleum.

Promoted by China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment, panelists at the U.N. Climate Change Conference selected Xiamen's low-value recyclables recycling model as an outstanding case model.

Xiamen was the site of China's first carbon reduction credit transaction for low-value recyclables in a residential community. National officials have hailed the city's program as a replicable and scalable path for grassroots environmental governance. The program is a national benchmark for the resource utilization of low-value recyclables.

The city's low-value recyclable program includes public mobilization for source separation, technological empowerment in disposal processes, and the use of carbon trading.