The city aims to reduce its household garbage by at least 20 percent by 2015 and further promote trash separation and recycling as part of the local government's initiative to learn from urban management practices exhibited at the Expo.

Shanghai should take a lesson from Taipei's effective classification, reduction and recycling of waste as part of the Expo legacy, said Huang Rong, director of Shanghai Urban Construction and Communications Commission.

The Taipei Pavilion in the Urban Best Practices Area of the Expo demonstrates how the city aims to achieve complete recycling of resources without burying or burning garbage.

The city now recycles 46 percent of its resources, up from 2.5 percent eight years ago. It has also managed to reduce its garbage by 67 percent in the same period and has met its target of zero burial of garbage.

Shanghai, however, has made little progress in the field although it started the initiative at almost the same time, according to a report from the Shanghai People's Congress.

The city has now placed separated waste bins in over 3,700 residential communities to encourage classification, but a recent survey shows over 50 percent of local residents do not separate waste.

The city now produces 6 to 7 million tons of household garbage a year - and that is growing rapidly. With the Expo, greater pressure is being put on the city's waste treatment facilities, as the average 160,000 visitors a day during the first five days of Expo alone created nearly 200 tons of waste a day.

Ren Lianyou, a member of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai People's Congress, said the key is informing the public about how to sort waste and mobilizing the public into action.

With less than 50 days until Expo ends, Huang said authorities are prepared for the return of many urban management problems which, thanks to the Expo, are temporarily under control.

One important measure, he said, is that two-thirds of the 28 temporary regulations issued by the local government during the Expo will become permanent. These include public security, food quality and environmental protection.

Ji Xiaodong, another member of the congress, also suggested that Shanghai designate April 30 an annual "Expo Day" to promote its legacy of green economy and the spirit of innovation and volunteerism.