2016 saw substantial progress in rural waste separation at the levels of policy and practice in China. The head of state announced the rolling out of a waste separation system across this country；the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development （MOHURD） released a document intended to share the city of Jinhua’s experience in rural waste separation nationwide；several regional regulations specific to this issue were issued；many local governments explored practices in creative manners. All these have set a historic milestone in promoting rural waste governance and further building a beautiful，livable countryside. In the future，rural waste separation will evolve toward governance from management，and a responsibility system based on co-governance will be created in developing rural society in a new manner integrating environmental protection，industrial development and governance.