Abstract
In modern China, with rapidly industrialization and urbanization, the mode of production and consumption, housing pattern and demographic has been changes. It results in largely increasing numbers of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). The authorities then build more incinerators as disposal of waste; however, there were many anti-incinerator residents and environmental organizations. No matter what points they have, all of them consent that waste sorting is the key of city waste crisis and the communities are foundational fields of waste sorting, especially household waste sorting. By fieldwork approach, the study discussed the difficulties of household waste sorting in Beijing’s communities and find out the waste sorting policy for several years was probably a symbolic policy due to the defects of policy process, the limited participation of environmental non-government organizations and the complicated circumstance of governing communities. To overcome these difficulties, the authorities should allow more public participation in policy process; be more transparency; bring plural sectors in governance; specify the rights and duties; and set rewards and punishment system.