The amount of plastic waste is a growing global challenge, especially when it ends up in the sea. How can we reduce plastic waste? What ideas are there to replace or recycle plastic products? Which alternatives do you use in your daily life?

Jointly with the China Association of Circular Economy (CACE), ‘Rethinking Plastics’ invited Chinese photographers to answer these questions, share experiences and good ideas in pictures and join the Green Development and Circular Economy Photo Contest, organised by CACE, in a specific plastic reduction category. A jury of experts evaluated all submitted pictures and the best pictures were awarded and exhibited at the annual meeting of CACE in November.

The grand price was awarded to Ying Limin, showcasing the ‘Guardians of the Great Wall’ in China. Click through the gallery for selected winning pictures out of 807 pieced submitted in three categories.

Photographs shown:

• Guardians of the Great Wall (Ying Limin)
• Keep Our Beaches Clean, photo set (Zhong Yunming)
• Plastics Recycling, photo set (Zhang Li)
• Waste Segregation and Circular Economy Through Shadow Puppet Play (Zhou Zheng)
• Little Environmental Fighters, photo set (Liu Xiumei)
• River Course Cleaning and Waste Collection (Huang Shenglin)
• Stop Eating Plastic (Li Chan)
• 19-Waste Segregation in Villages (Lu Wen)
• Everyone Is Reducing Plastic (Meng Jie)
• Chinese Cleaners (Zhou Zheng)
• Protect Our Marine Environments, photo set (Zhong Yunming)
• Collect Every Plastic Waste They See (Zhang Wenqiang)