On one side are manufacturing factories producing large quantities of industrial waste, while on the other is the “big eater” of recycling and regeneration facilities that cannot get enough to eat. Wuhan was the first city in central China to launch the large-scale solid waste resource recycling platform “Wufeibao”. Since its launch, more than 5,000 market entities have registered on the platform. Through digital means, it addresses major challenges in traditional offline disposal models, including information asymmetry, low matching efficiency, and difficulties in regulatory traceability.

On August 7, a reporter clicked the “Wufeibao” link and found that the fixed menus for services and matchmaking transactions on the page were concise and clear. After registering, entities generating solid waste can directly post their treatment requirements in the trading hall. Recycling entities with processing capacity can communicate with them immediately, allowing both parties to reach an agreement directly without third-party intervention and with zero transaction fees. The reporter found that the types of solid waste requiring recycling were diverse, including waste aluminum, scrap iron, sludge, slag, waste light-gauge steel keels, epoxy resin powder coatings, used batteries, and more.

At the end of March this year, “Wufeibao” was officially launched. Using professional and digital methods, it innovates the solid waste management model and covers four major areas: general industrial solid waste, hazardous waste, household waste, and construction waste. It connects three types of entities—waste-generating enterprises, disposal and operating entities, and transportation enterprises—and, in accordance with the standards for a “zero-waste city”, establishes a unified, citywide intelligent matching system for solid waste supply and demand. According to reports, the platform is committed to providing convenient services. Relying on the government service network, it enables enterprises to log in with one click without authentication and complete the entire process online, significantly reducing the time costs for enterprises.

“Recycling is a sunrise industry. Turning waste into resources and transforming the rotten into something marvelous is both a science and an art,” said Yan Cheng, a professor at the School of Environmental Studies of China University of Geosciences (Wuhan). He believes that “Wufeibao” provides a digital model for the refined management of solid waste in large cities.