Beijing woman turns garbage into treasure

Sheng Juan, vice-president of Qiao Niang (skilled women) Association of Haidian District and head of an organic ecological farm in Beijing, is devoted to both advocating the concept of environmental protection and promoting garbage sorting and recycling. Sheng is a recipient of the titles of role model of the capital and the March-8th Red-banner Holder of Haidian District. Her family is a recipient of the titles of the capital's most beautiful family and the most beautiful family of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

Sheng in 2015 rented some land to plant vegetables and flowers, so her children could experience how to perform farm work and eat the vegetables and fruits they produced. At the beginning, the land was not fertile enough. Sheng learned how to use discarded enzymes to improve the soil. The enzyme-making method is simple: Place fruit and vegetable waste (such as discarded vegetable leaves and fruit peelings) and brown sugar into sealed plastic bottles or buckets. The mixture will ferment into a brown liquid fertilizer within several months. The environmentally friendly fertilizer can help produce larger, richer fruits and vegetables.

In recent years, Sheng has thought about ways to reduce garbage and turn garbage into treasure. She uses discarded jars, plastic bottles, yogurt cartons and toy cars as "flowerpots" to cultivate succulent plants at the office. She plants several kinds of vegetables in used foam boxes on the balcony at home. She also makes cushions, mats and pillows from used clothes and sheets.

"The meaning of garbage sorting is to recycle the garbage. There is no garbage in the world, only treasures that are being put in the wrong place. I have a sense of accomplishment when I turn garbage into 'treasure'," Sheng says. "For me, garbage recycling is not merely helping protect the environment. I feel happy when I see the garbage regain its value after being recycled."

Sheng has promoted her concepts of environmental protection in schools, enterprises and organizations. She also established her own environmentally friendly ecological base, where visitors can learn and practice her environmental-protection concepts.

"If everyone is able to set up his/her own concept of environmental protection, and learn and practice the methods of garbage recycling, he/she will not only live a better life, but also bring good to the world," Sheng says.

Photos Supplied by Interviewee

(Women of China English Monthly September 2022 issue)