In 2003, Beijing launched extensive education and training programs on waste classification and issued the Guide for Domestic Waste Classification in Beijing to promote the reduction, recycling, safe treatment and industrialized treatment of domestic waste in the city.

On December 24, the Beijing Municipal Government issued the White Book on the Management of Domestic Waste. It was the first white book in the country regarding the management of urban domestic waste. It established the basic principles, the objectives and tasks of the domestic waste management project in Beijing in the years up to 2008. By 2008, the rate of safe treatment of urban domestic waste will reach 98%; the rate of source waste classification in urban areas will rise to 50% and the reuse rate of waste to 30%.