In this "future city," household garbage is not the only waste being given a second life. At an environmental education center in Xiong"an"s Rongdong area, visitors can see jars filled with recycled aggregates made from crushed and sorted construction waste, alongside bricks produced from recycled materials, Xinhua reported.

　　The underground plant serves as the final stop in Xiong"an"s waste management system. But treating waste is only the last step. If the plant is the city"s "stomach," then its communities, schools, offices and businesses are like the cells of a living organism, working every day to produce less waste, sort what remains and keep resources in use.

　　According to Xiong"an"s official website, the new area has made zero-waste principles part of its urban planning from the outset, extending the approach beyond treatment plants to neighborhoods, construction sites, ecological restoration and public education.

　　One key initiative is the creation of "zero-waste cells" - places where waste reduction becomes part of daily routines. More than 800 such sites have been established across 14 categories, including government offices, schools, residential communities, tourist attractions, supermarkets and hotels.

　　In Wenhua community, for example, a team of more than 50 environmental volunteers helps promote everything from waste sorting to low-carbon travel. Residents now sort their garbage with an accuracy rate of over 85 percent, while the use of disposable paper cups and plastic tableware at community events has fallen by more than 70 percent.