Rooted in Wusong Paotaiwan National Wetland Park in Baoshan，Shanghai, and supported by the Baoshan Riverside Committee and the Park, the project employs systemic design methods to address the challenge of plastic bottles and fishing waste brought into rivers by tidal currents. Following the HCD+ principles, it emphasises inclusivity and community empowerment in building zero-waste communities. More than 70% of the regular volunteers are local women, many in transitional stages of life. Through training, they have grown into “Tidal Waste Navigators”, responsible for guiding on-site waste sorting.

As of October this year, the project has conducted 25 community actions, collecting and sorting a total of 956 kilograms of waste. It has mobilized over 616 participants and 43 organizations. Moving forward, the project plans to collaborate with more institutions along the Yangtze River’s main stem, aiming to establish cross-regional environmental partnerships.

The project will develop a citizen science database to record brand and plastic codes, enhancing public awareness of waste management. Beyond cleaning up the coastal environment, the project also fosters community leadership and explores a replicable and scalable pathway for sustainable coastal governance, showcasing the vast potential of HCD+ in driving social innovation and ecological protection.

The project was initiated by Yang Xin of the Yangtze Estuary Green Development Promotion Centre, with Wen Lu from the College of Design and Innovation, Tongji University, serving as co-initiator and chief planner, and Jing Chen from Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences responsible for designing the project’s safety and emergency response plan as well as data processing. The execution team includes Peijian Zhong, Shile Shi, Weirong Wang, Yin Yang, and Lan Guo from the Yangtze Estuary Green Development Promotion Centre, together with youth assistant Gefei Han from Shanghai High School.

Group Members

Lu Wen, Chief Planner, Co-Initiator, Board Member of the Yangtze Estuary Green Development Promotion Center
Yang Xin, Project Initiator, Director of the Estuary Yangtze Green Development Promotion Centre
Chen Jing, Project safety & emergency planning, Data Processing
Zhong Peijian, Project Executive, Activity site coordinator
Shi Shile, Project Operation
Wang Weirong, Project Executive, Volunteer Trainer
Yang Yin, Project Executive, Volunteer Trainer
Guo Lan, Project Executive, Volunteer Trainer
Han Gefei, Youth Assistant
Lou Yongqi, Advisors
Silvia Barbero, Advisors
Amina Pereno, Advisors
Liu Long, Advisors

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Country

China
Shanghai

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