HAIKOU－At an eco-awareness center in Hainan province, 83-year-old Zhao Yueying uses a sewing machine to turn secondhand garments into cloth bags, which are given to residents and tourists to replace plastic bags.

"The more cloth bags I make, the fewer plastic bags will be used. It's a contribution to society," said Zhao, who makes four or five bags a day.

Workers at the center in Baishamen, Haikou city, are trying to find an alternative use for discarded fruit peel, vegetable scraps, old clothes, plastic bottles and bags.

The country's campaign to establish an urban garbage-sorting system has given the center an educational function, where visitors learn how everyday trash can have a second life.

In the center's yard, there are dozens of sealed blue tanks containing rotting fruits and vegetables collected from local markets.

Jiang Fujun, Zhao's son and the director of the center, said after the food waste is mixed with water and brown sugar it turns into "eco-friendly enzymes" in about three months. The liquid can then be used to clean stains, grow flowers and deodorize toilets.

The second floor of the center is an exhibition hall showing items made from waste material. Decorative bags, aprons and sachets made from waste cloth are on display, along with a large stool constructed from hundreds of plastic bottles, each stuffed with colorful plastic bags.

The center is playing a central role in a local drive to raise public awareness about garbage sorting. Last year, it received more than 23,000 visitors, including residents, students and employees of public bodies seeking inspiration on garbage sorting.

The center also gave away over 24,000 cloth bags and 30,000 bottles of its eco-friendly enzyme liquid.

To encourage more people to participate in garbage sorting, Jiang has built three more eco-awareness centers with the support of the Meilan district government.

One center became a popular summer vacation spot, where children played "garbage-sorting games" and trained to be volunteers to promote knowledge of garbage sorting in their neighborhoods.

Mao Zhisen, 12, is familiar with garbage-sorting rules and takes pride in his volunteer work. "Trash has polluted the earth, so every one of us should take an active role in protecting the environment," he said.

Wang Caili recently took her 3-year-old son with her when she dropped used boxes at the center.

"My son enjoys playing here and he has learned a lot, including dropping trash in the right bins," said Wang, adding it is important to get children into the habit of garbage sorting.

Residents who take garbage to the center for recycling receive small gifts such as soap, the bottled enzymes and cloth bags. Jiang said the rewards are popular with elderly residents.

"Some have even mobilized their family members to join them," he said.

The provincial government started enforcing household garbage sorting in four cities in Hainan from Tuesday.

"Promoting garbage sorting and eco-awareness will benefit future generations," Jiang said. "It's my dream to build 1,000 eco-awareness centers around the island."

Xinhua