Outside the Shou'er residential community. At 3 PM on a weekday, the smart recycling machine in Yangpu District's Yanji Third Village reached its capacity for the third time that day. Half an hour later, Mr. Jiang, a collection staff member from ATRenew's 'Return to New Life' service, arrived at the community site to transport the recyclable materials deposited by residents to a transfer station on Yanji Street. "During the day, each community recycling machine fills up approximately every four hours, requiring three to four collection trips daily," he noted. By 6 PM that evening, materials from various communities were reloaded at the transfer station onto trucks for consolidated delivery to ATRenew's Yangpu District sorting plant. There, a semi-automated sorting line meticulously separates the materials into over 80 categories of recyclable resources, which are then sold to downstream businesses for reuse.
A single smart recycling machine serves as a window into Shanghai's refined waste classification and resource utilization efforts. In 2019, ATRenew, a company based in Yangpu District, launched its renewable resource recycling system business. Currently, the company's two sorting plants, 29 transfer stations, and over 5,400 smart recycling machines in Shanghai are operating at "full capacity," processing an average of about 600 tons daily and serving over 2.26 million users.
At 3 PM, Mr. Jiang was in Yanji Third Village. The "Point-Station-Field" model was in action. Outside the Shou'er residential community in Pudong New Area's Hudong Xincun Street, a newly installed smart recycling machine attracted the attention of many residents. Following the prompts, residents can scan a code to deposit recyclable materials such as paper, metal, plastic, and fabric from their household waste. No complex operation is needed; after deposit, the machine automatically identifies and weighs the items, providing a corresponding cash reward based on weight. The simple-to-use equipment and compensated recycling model quickly ignited residents' enthusiasm for participation.
The efficient operation of the smart recycling machines stems from ATRenew pioneering a closed-loop "Point-Station-Field" model in Shanghai. At community points, when the company's smart recycling devices reach capacity, they send data to a logistics platform. The system automatically assigns tasks to collection personnel and optimizes routes for efficient clearance. "Taking Yangpu District as an example, the 1,815 smart recycling machines we've deployed cover 819 communities and 880,000 users, handling about 220 tons of goods daily with just 60 collection vehicles," said Tian Mu, Vice President of ATRenew.
At transfer stations, goods delivered by collection vehicles are temporarily stored before being consolidated and transported by larger trucks to sorting centers. All goods packages have unique identification codes, enabling full-process digital traceability. At sorting plants, a semi-automated sorting line can finely separate relatively low-value recyclables into over 80 categories, which are then compacted into standardized inventory "blocks" of about one cubic meter for sale to downstream enterprises. The sorting line incorporates an "Intelligent Sorting System" based on artificial intelligence and optoelectronic fusion, utilizing technologies like high-speed image recognition, cloud computing, and automated control to automatically identify and sort items on the production line at high speed. "The system can recognize multiple categories like plastic bottles, milk cartons, and aluminum cans with an accuracy rate exceeding 98%," Tian Mu added.
Since 2019, ATRenew has been a pioneer in exploring renewable resource recycling business in Shanghai. Over eight years, the number of smart recycling machines has expanded from fewer than 500 to over 5,400, establishing a replicable business model. "The initial investment cost for this business is relatively high, but it has achieved overall profitability in Shanghai," Tian Mu stated. In recent years, ATRenew's 'Return to New Life' service has been expanding from Shanghai nationwide, building a fully digitized, commercially mature urban renewable resource recycling system. It is reported that ATRenew has cumulatively deployed over 52,000 smart recycling machines, operates 297 transfer stations and 30 large sorting plants across 38 cities in China, serving a user base exceeding 30 million and achieving a daily recycling volume of approximately 3,300 tons.
Tian Mu was at the system backend. Inside the sorting plant. Operating at "Full Capacity" in Shanghai, the scale of ATRenew's smart recycling machines has experienced eight years of rapid growth, with the number now fixed at over 5,400. Tian Mu explained that the current number has reached a "ceiling" in Shanghai, not due to insufficient deposits from residents, but because the sorting capacity at the factory end is nearing its limit. "In an ideal model, one recycling machine is configured for every 200-300 users, one transfer station is built for every 200-300 machines, and then 2-3 factories with sorting capacity matching the total deposit volume from residents are established," he said.
However, since the second quarter of last year, the limited sorting capacity at the factory end has begun to lag behind the growing deposit enthusiasm from residents. Before last year's "618" shopping festival, as many residents engaged in online shopping, an increasing number of recyclables like delivery boxes began flooding into the recycling bins. "Large inventories piled up at the factories awaiting sorting, production line equipment ran non-stop overnight, and sorting workers worked overtime," he recalled. To enhance sorting capacity, the two sorting plants adjusted worker shifts: changing from the original 8 AM to 6 PM schedule to a two-shift rotation model with equipment operating continuously.
The company's need for capacity expansion quickly garnered responses from various parties. An official from Baoshan District noted that relevant departments promptly noticed the "full production" situation at ATRenew's Baoshan sorting plant and began seeking suitable sites for the company's capacity expansion last year. Currently, Baoshan District is fully committed to building a model zone for the city's green and low-carbon transformation, establishing a core functional area for green and low-carbon supply chains, forming a relatively complete circular economy industrial ecosystem, and achieving large-scale processing capabilities in areas such as scrap steel, waste materials, used batteries, and waste heat and energy utilization. It is reported that ATRenew plans to establish a new comprehensive green intelligent operation center in Baoshan District. The new center, integrating popular science exhibition, environmental education, and automated operation, will double the company's sorting capacity in Shanghai and drive the scale of front-end smart recycling machines to exceed 10,000 units. Simultaneously, the center can conduct popular science activities like parent-child education and research classes, further embedding the concepts of waste classification and resource utilization into public consciousness.
Inside the sorting plant. Over 80 types of "blocks." A New "Fashion" in Classification In Shanghai, waste classification has become a new fashion in residents' lives. "Some believe that about 50% of municipal solid waste consists of renewable resources that were previously unseparable. But now, more and more recyclables are being liberated from household waste through new technological means, becoming valuable renewable resources for society," Tian Mu said. His greatest observation from years in the industry is that many Shanghai residents have shifted from being told to classify waste ("have to sort") to wanting to do it themselves ("want to sort").
Among ATRenew's users, waste classification has increasingly become a fashionable lifestyle. It is reported that over 50% of ATRenew users are under 40 years old. They choose ATRenew not only for the cash benefits but also to become practitioners of a green, low-carbon lifestyle. Last August, ATRenew launched a "plogging" activity in Shanghai. Participants jogged through city streets while picking up litter, specifically recyclable materials, and depositing them at recycling sites along the way.
In recent years, at some upscale residential communities in Shanghai, ATRenew staff have increasingly observed residents lining up to make deposits. Many of these deposits are parent-child activities, with parents bringing their children to deposit together. An increasing number of products made from recycled materials are also becoming popular "fashion items" among citizens. In Baoshan District's Miaohang Town, the fully connected Dongjiao Jing River now sparkles with ripples, and the tree-lined riverbanks have become a favorite spot for residents to relax, exercise, and enjoy nature. Many strolling citizens pause to sit on benches by the river, admiring the scenery. Several of these benches for public rest come from ATRenew's "One Decibel Plan," with 95% made from recycled materials. Previously, the activity collected clutter like hallway堆放物 from community residents. After ATRenew's再生处理, these materials were transformed into products made from recycled materials that returned to the residents, realizing the concept of "取自社区，用于社区" (taken from the community, used for the community).
In recent years, phone cases made from renewable materials by ATRenew have also gained increasing popularity among young consumers. It is reported that the product currently sells about 20,000 units monthly, with total sales exceeding 150,000 units.
The benches. The phone cases.
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