The local sanitation authority aims to further popularize its garbage sorting and reduction campaign this year by encouraging more residents to separate their trash for recycling and composting, official said at a press conference Thursday.

"The amount of garbage generation per capita dropped from 0.82 kilograms in 2010 to 0.74 kilograms in 2012 due to sorting," said Xu Zhiping, vice director of the waste administrative division from Shanghai Municipal Afforestation and City Appearance and Environmental Sanitation Administration. "We will continue to achieve a target reduction of 5 percent in household garbage per capita in 2013."

The government would like residents to separate their trash into five different groups, including food waste, glass and other recyclables. Residents can do this at any of the city's 2,130 garbage collection spots.

Xu said this will allow the trash to be more efficiently recycled, causing less damage to the environment.

The problem has been that many residents haven't been willing to separate their trash. "In some residential areas, about 60 percent of the residents voluntarily sort their garbage, while in others, only 20 percent of them do it," Xu said.

To maintain the 5 percent reduction rate, the authority aims to mobilize more residents to participate in the campaign. Last year, it added 1,050 collection spots in areas such as residential communities, wet markets, schools and public parks across the city.

"By separating the wet garbage from the dry, and picking out the recyclables, such as glass and toxic garbage, local residents can make their own contribution to environment protection. After all, a cleaner and better environment benefits everyone," Xu said.

The administration will also begin soliciting for slogans for the campaign on March 11 as a way to promote the idea. The slogans must be in Chinese, though participants are free to include an English version. The slogan must be submitted by the end of the month. The first place winner will receive a prize of up to 5,000 yuan ($804.12).