A smart garbage sorting system in a community in Beijing in July Photo: IC

The government of Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, on Monday announced plans to use compliance with household waste sorting rules as a metric in the personal credit information system, according to media reports, a move that an expert said was an effort to include more aspects of daily behavior in personal credit systems.

The city will issue warnings to correct household disposal misbehavior in violation of the regulations, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Those who won't comply shall be fined a maximum of 200 yuan ($28.40) for individuals and a maximum of 500 yuan for companies. 

In addition, an administrative penalty will be recorded in the credit files of relevant individuals and companies according to the regulations of Zhejiang Province on the management of public credit information, the report said.

The administrative penalty also covers related individuals and enterprises, including the person responsible for the management of waste sorting, the firm responsible for household waste collection and transportation, and the company responsible for waste disposal. 

"Littering was formerly seen as an issue of public morality, whereas it will now be recorded as bad credit," Zhu Wei, a professor at the China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing, told the Global Times.

Hangzhou is not the first municipality to use littering in a credit system or public credit information platform.

Taiyuan, capital of North China's Shanxi Province, issued regulations in February on the inclusion of waste classification and distribution violations in a social credit information sharing platform, local media reported. 

Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, has encouraged individuals who are fined for administrative penalties to apply for voluntary service of garbage sorting. They can be exempted from fines if they meet the requirements.

Jiangsu's action signals that daily activities can be included in the credit system in China, as the country is strengthening efforts to build a sound credit system, said Zhu.

Several ministries and administrations have recently sought to promote credit construction in China, including the industries of transport and logistics, cyberspace and finance.