Aziz is not the only foreign businessman in Yiwu contributing to the city's environment campaign. In Changchun community, where thousands of international businesspeople and their families live, an international volunteer team was established last year.

"Many foreigners run restaurants of their countries' food in Changchun," said Lou Chun, a member of the Changchun Community Party Committee. The restaurants' oil plugged sewer pipes frequently and the ground was always covered with smelly polluted water.

Last year, the community decided to build an oil treatment system using oil separation tanks. The tanks can do a preliminary filtration of polluted water and prevent oil from flowing directly into municipal pipes.

Stores need to pay 4,000 yuan to install the system and 2,400 yuan as an annual pollution processing fee.

"Many foreign restaurant owners didn't agree to pay the fee and couldn't understand the reason to build the system," said Lou. "Foreign volunteers worked with us to persuade their compatriots to cooperate on the project."

The international volunteer team persuades a restaurant owner to install oil separation tanks in Changchun community, Yiwu, on May 18. [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]