In 2012, tons of recyclable wastes were disposed every day in several waste disposal hubs in Beijing's suburbs. People who worked there usually lived in shacks of few square meters in a dirty and stinky environment.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in November that year, Beijing has adopted measures to clean these disposal hubs so as to echo the national strategy of enhancing ecological civilization.

In 2017, China Daily returned to the villages and compared the current situation with photos taken five years ago. Meadows and lines of seedlings have taken the place of the waste areas. New disposal hubs have been built in planned areas outside Beijing and equipped with new technology and infrastructure that makes recycling more eco-friendly and efficient.

With a better environment, the transformation of waste disposal villages will contribute to Beijing's environmental improvement and help get rid of its non-capital functions.

A plastic bottle collecting site has been transformed into a wetland. WANG JING/CHINA DAILY