Where Did All the Empty E-Cigarette Pods Go? RELX Helps Build Cattle Sheds and Daylily Drying Facili

The sprawling yellow earth drought surrounds the village, with the continuous Helan Mountains in the distance. In Juhua Tai Village and Xingmin Village of Wuzhong City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, two new buildings have become a new hope for local villagers to get rich: cattle are leisurely resting in the brand new "Feiyue Cattle Shed," and the "Feiyue Drying Field" is bright and filled with the local "golden vegetable"—daylilies.

(The Feiyue Cattle Shed, funded and built by RELX, is located in Juhua Tai Village, Wuzhong City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The photo was taken on July 15, 2023.)

On July 14, the Feiyue Cattle Shed and Feiyue Drying Field, jointly built by RELX (also known as Fog Core Technology) and the China Siyuan Engineering Foundation, were officially put into use in Juhua Tai Village and Xingmin Village, respectively. The Feiyue Cattle Shed has a construction area of 1,529.2 square meters and can support the breeding of 600 cattle annually, helping Juhua Tai Village transform its livestock industry from family-based farming to standardized and industrialized operations; the Feiyue Drying Field covers an area of 3,330 square meters and can support villagers in drying daylilies and other cash crops, improving the quality of drying.

It is understood that the cement used to build the Feiyue Cattle Shed and Feiyue Drying Field was produced from the "Empty Cartridge Renewal" environmental recycling project by RELX. In 2021, RELX invested 20 million yuan to launch this plan, which not only encourages users to consume green but also processes the collected empty cartridges into cement clinker through cement kiln co-processing technology, supporting rural revitalization.

Feiyue Cattle Shed: Supporting the Modernization of Livestock in Key Rural Revitalization Areas

Passing through the neatly arranged houses under the scorching sun, the reporter arrived at the Feiyue Cattle Shed built with the help of RELX at the northernmost part of Juhua Tai Village. More than 200 beef cattle purchased by the village collective have moved into this "new home."

Looking at the leisurely grazing cattle, Gu Yuliang, the village party secretary of Juhua Tai Village, couldn't hide his excitement: "With this cattle shed, we expect to sell two batches of cattle within this year. Through the 'village collective + cooperative + farmers' economic operation model, we can help villagers increase their income by 1 million yuan annually."

(Previously, the livestock industry in Juhua Tai Village was mainly family-based, with low scale efficiency, urgently needing a modern breeding base. The photo was taken on July 15, 2023.)

Juhua Tai Village is located in the arid core area of central Ningxia, and Tongxing County, where it is located, is one of the 160 key counties for rural revitalization in the country. In 2019, the village met the poverty alleviation standards, and more than 5,000 villagers had their basic needs met. However, the harsh natural environment and weak industrial foundation make preventing a return to poverty an important task at this stage.

(The Feiyue Cattle Shed covers an area of 15,329 square meters, with a construction area of 1,529.2 square meters, supporting the breeding and raising of 600 cattle annually. The photo was taken on July 15, 2023.)

RELX found in its research that corn planting and livestock farming are the pillar industries of the village. However, the village previously relied on family farming, which had low scale efficiency and restricted villagers' income growth, while a large amount of corn straw was difficult to consume, with high external transportation costs, and burning it on-site polluted the environment.

To solve both problems and increase villagers' income, a modern beef cattle breeding base is urgently needed locally. Corn straw can be processed into feed, and the organic fertilizer produced from raising cattle can also be uniformly used for corn planting, reducing soil and water pollution and improving the agricultural ecological environment.

(The cement used to build the Feiyue Cattle Shed is produced from the cement clinker made from recycled empty cartridges. The photo was taken on July 15, 2023.)

The reporter learned that the cement used to build the Feiyue Cattle Shed is produced from the cement clinker made from recycled empty cartridges. This not only realizes the resource recycling and harmless utilization of waste empty cartridges but also supports the local livestock industry in transitioning to standardized and industrialized operations.

(The Feiyue Cattle Shed can support the local livestock industry in transitioning from family farming to modern and standardized farming. The photo was taken on July 15, 2023.)

In addition to the Feiyue Cattle Shed, the reporter found that RELX also built a 100 cubic meter underground water reservoir, drawing water from the Yellow River, which can meet the emergency water needs of the cattle shed and daily cleaning requirements. Wheel tractors, feed mixers, and other machinery have been put into use. The first modern cattle shed in Juhua Tai Village is smoothly operating with the hope of enriching the villagers. #p#分页标题#e#

"Teaching a man to fish is better than giving him a fish," said the head of corporate social responsibility at RELX, "We hope the Feiyue Cattle Shed injects a strong boost into the rural revitalization of Juhua Tai Village, promoting villagers' income growth in a comprehensive and sustainable manner."

(Gu Yuliang, the village party secretary of Juhua Tai Village (center), stated that the Feiyue Cattle Shed can help villagers increase their income by 1 million yuan annually. The photo was taken on July 15, 2023.)

Feiyue Drying Field: Improving the Drying Quality of Daylilies and Solving Villagers' Urgent Needs

Driving two hours from Juhua Tai Village, the reporter arrived at Xingmin Village in the Hongsi Fort District of Wuzhong City, where the "Feiyue Drying Field," built with the help of RELX and made from cement produced from recycled empty cartridges, appeared at the village entrance. Hongsi Fort District is also a key county for national rural revitalization and the largest production area of daylilies in the country.

(The Feiyue Drying Field, located in Xingmin Village, covers an area of 3,330 square meters and helps the local area dry 710,000 pounds of daylilies annually. The photo was taken on July 15, 2023.)

Daylilies are regarded by villagers as the "golden vegetable" for poverty alleviation and wealth creation. Every July to August during the harvest season, tens of thousands of acres of farmland turn into a sea of yellow-green. At dawn, villagers begin to pick. However, the harvest brings not only joy but also a happy dilemma.

Daylilies need to be dried outdoors for easy transportation. Although the local government issued a notice in 2019 prohibiting drying on the roads, Xingmin Village lacks a unified drying point. To seize the best picking period of the "golden 40 days" and ensure sufficient drying time, villagers can only choose to spread them on the asphalt road.

(The cement used to build the Feiyue Drying Field is produced from the cement clinker made from recycled empty cartridges. The photo was taken on July 15, 2023.)

"When we visited Xingmin Village in 2022, we found that the sides of the road were covered with daylilies, which not only obstructed traffic but also posed significant food safety risks when dried on asphalt," said the head of corporate social responsibility at RELX.

Only when food safety standards are met can products enter larger markets. To help consolidate local poverty alleviation achievements, the Feiyue Drying Field built by RELX was put into use in July 2023. The 3,330 square meter cement drying field can help the local area dry 710,000 pounds of daylilies annually, greatly alleviating the drying difficulties and improving drying efficiency and product quality.

(The Feiyue Drying Field will effectively improve the drying efficiency and product quality of local daylilies. The photo was taken on July 14, 2023.)

Xu Aiqin, a villager from Xingmin Village, told the reporter that last year a heavy rain soaked over 1,000 pounds of daylilies in the town, causing many people's hard work to go to waste. "With the new drying field for centralized drying, we can handle it promptly even on rainy days, which has truly solved our urgent needs," Xu Aiqin said.

Now, the Feiyue Drying Field is filled with golden daylilies. Villagers report that this year's daylilies will be sold to Shaanxi, Hunan, Sichuan, and other places. With the improvement in quality, there is a greater opportunity to enter large supermarkets and e-commerce platforms, helping villagers expand the path to wealth with "small daylilies, big industry."

(Local villagers say the Feiyue Drying Field has truly solved their urgent needs. The photo was taken on July 15, 2023.)

From Empty Cartridges to Rural Revitalization, Utilizing Every Empty Cartridge's "Residual Heat"

The Feiyue Cattle Shed and Feiyue Drying Field are not the full picture of RELX's support for rural revitalization. In 2021, RELX initiated the industry's first full-chain empty cartridge recycling solution—"Empty Cartridge Renewal," clarifying the direction of "not only alleviating environmental pressure but also allowing empty cartridges to exert residual heat and achieve resource reuse."

RELX discovered through exploration that, using cement kiln co-processing technology, the iron metal in empty cartridges can become cement clinker, achieving zero waste recycling and generating economic value under environmentally friendly conditions.

Currently, Empty Cartridge Renewal has entered 297 cities nationwide, and recycling empty cartridges has become a green consumption habit for users. Maximizing the use of cement produced with the help of Empty Cartridge Renewal has also become a focal point for RELX's support for rural revitalization.

(Empty Cartridge Renewal not only cultivates users' green consumption habits but also continuously contributes to rural revitalization. The photo was taken on July 22, 2022.)#p#分页标题#e#

"We hope to put our actions into practice and make the projects resonate with the villagers," said the head of corporate responsibility at RELX. Based on this standard, RELX has launched multiple assistance programs in Ningxia and Hebei, tailored to local conditions, in cooperation with local governments to promote agricultural development and industrial transformation.

In December 2021, RELX, in collaboration with the China Siyuan Engineering Foundation, used cement produced from recycled empty cartridges to build a 1.1-kilometer-long "Common Prosperity Siyuan Road" in Chenggenying Village, Huangqi Town, Fengning Manchu Autonomous County, Chengde City, Hebei Province, solving the transportation problem for local economic crops, melon seeds. As of now, the "Common Prosperity Siyuan Road" has generated an additional income of 180,000 yuan for the local area.

It is understood that RELX plans to launch rural assistance programs in more regions. "Empty Cartridge Renewal supporting rural revitalization is an important way for us to fulfill our corporate social responsibility and give back to society, combining our industry characteristics with all users," said RELX founder and CEO Wang Ying, "We will continue to gather the small streams from users into a greater force to contribute to rural revitalization."