Exploring the development of municipal solid waste disposal facilities in Chinese cities: patterns and drivers

Xiao Li1, Yanan Ren2, Xuezhao Chen1, Yang Li3, Marian R. Chertow4
1School of Public Policy and Administration and Research Center for Resource and Environmental Policy and Management, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
2School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
3Growth Lab, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
4Center for Industrial Ecology, School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, USA

Tóm tắt

Rapid urbanization in Chinese cities has led to a surge in municipal solid waste (MSW) generation, necessitating the development of high-quality MSW disposal facilities. This study utilizes multi-source data and regression models to examine the status, development pathways, and driving forces of MSW disposal facilities in China. Our findings reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship between the capacities or numbers of MSW disposal facilities and GDP per capita of cities. Historical data show that cities in East and Southeast China preferred incineration, while cities in West and Central China developed landfills more, largely shaped by the imbalance of development levels and endowments among regions in China. The study also identifies mixed and differentiated influences of socioeconomic factors on capacity expansion and increases in the number of MSW disposal facilities. The results suggest the need for updated construction guidelines and regulations, as well as enhanced technological and managerial capabilities for MSW infrastructure. These findings can inform policymakers and practitioners in their efforts to promote sustainable waste management practices in China.

Tài liệu tham khảo

Assamoi B, Lawryshyn Y (2012). The environmental comparison of landfilling vs. incineration of MSW accounting for waste diversion. Waste Management (New York, N.Y.), 32(5): 1019–1030 Brunner P H, Rechberger H (2015). Waste to energy–key element for sustainable waste management. Waste Management (New York, N.Y.), 37: 3–12 Carlsson Reich M (2005). Economic assessment of municipal waste management systems—case studies using a combination of life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC). Journal of Cleaner Production, 13(3): 253–263 Chen X, Geng Y, Fujita T (2010). An overview of municipal solid waste management in China. Waste Management (New York, N.Y.), 30(4): 716–724 Chen Y C, Lo S L (2016). Evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions for several municipal solid waste management strategies. Journal of Cleaner Production, 113: 606–612 Cheng J, Shi F, Yi J, Fu H (2020). Analysis of the factors that affect the production of municipal solid waste in China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 259: 120808 Dhakal S, Ruth M (2017). Creating Low Carbon Cities. Cham: Springer International Publishing AG Ding Y, Zhao J, Liu J W, Zhou J, Cheng L, Zhao J, Shao Z, Iris Ç, Pan B, Li X, et al. (2021). A review of China’s municipal solid waste (MSW) and comparison with international regions: management and technologies in treatment and resource utilization. Journal of Cleaner Production, 293: 126144 EEA (2009). Diverting waste from landfill: effectiveness of waste-management policies in the European Union. Copenhagen: European Environment Agency Fabian N, Lou L I T (2019). The struggle for sustainable waste management in Hong Kong (China): 1950s–2010s. Worldwide Waste. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2(1): 1–12 Geng Y (2012). Toward safe treatment of municipal solid wastes in China’s urban areas. Environmental Science & Technology, 46(13): 7067–7068 Giusti L (2009). A review of waste management practices and their impact on human health. Waste Management (New York, N.Y.), 29(8): 2227–2239 Gu B, Jiang S, Wang H, Wang Z, Jia R, Yang J, He S, Cheng R (2017). Characterization, quantification and management of China’s municipal solid waste in spatiotemporal distributions: a review. Waste Management (New York, N.Y.), 61: 67–77 Hausman J A, Hall B H, Griliches Z (1984). Econometric models for count data with an application to the patents-R&D relationship. Econometrica, 52(4): 909–938 Hong J, Chen Y, Wang M, Ye L, Qi C, Yuan H, Zheng T, Li X (2017). Intensification of municipal solid waste disposal in China. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 69: 168–176 Johnstone N, Labonne J (2004). Generation of household solid waste in OECD countries: an empirical analysis using macroeconomic data. Land Economics, 80(4): 529–538 Kristanto G A, Koven W (2019). Estimating greenhouse gas emissions from municipal solid waste management in Depok, Indonesia. City and Environment Interactions, 4: 100027 Laner D, Fellner J, Brunner P H (2009). Flooding of municipal solid waste landfills—An environmental hazard? Science of the Total Environment, 407(12): 3674–3680 Lu J W, Zhang S, Hai J, Lei M (2017). Status and perspectives of municipal solid waste incineration in China: a comparison with developed regions. Waste Management (New York, N.Y.), 69: 170–186 Lu W, Huo W, Gulina H, Pan C (2022). Development of machine learning multi-city model for municipal solid waste generation prediction. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, 16(9): 119 Magazzino C, Mele M, Schneider N, Sarkodie S A (2021). Waste generation, wealth and GHG emissions from the waste sector: Is Denmark on the path towards circular economy? Science of the Total Environment, 755: 142510 Makarichi L, Jutidamrongphan W, Techato K A (2018). The evolution of waste-to-energy incineration: a review. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 91: 812–821 Mukherjee S, Mukhopadhyay S, Hashim M A, Sen Gupta B (2015). Contemporary environmental issues of landfill leachate: Assessment and remedies. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 45(5): 472–590 Pérez J, de Andrés J M, Lumbreras J, Rodríguez E (2018). Evaluating carbon footprint of municipal solid waste treatment: Methodological proposal and application to a case study. Journal of Cleaner Production, 205: 419–431 Rabl A, Spadaro J V, Zoughaib A (2008). Environmental impacts and costs of solid waste: a comparison of landfill and incineration. Waste Management & Research, 26(2): 147–162 Stanisavljevic N, Levis J W, Barlaz M A (2018). Application of a life cycle model for European Union policy-driven waste management decision making in emerging economies. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 22(2): 341–355 Themelis N J, Ulloa P A (2007). Methane generation in landfills. Renewable Energy, 32(7): 1243–1257 Wang X, Geng Y (2012). Municipal solid waste management in Dalian: practices and challenges. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, 6(4): 540–548 Wooldridge J M (2015). Introductory Econometrics: A Modern Approach. 4th ed. Mason: South-Western Cengage Learning Xu M, Lin B (2020). Exploring the “not in my backyard” effect in the construction of waste incineration power plants: based on a survey in metropolises of China. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 82: 106377 Zeng C, Niu D, Zhao Y (2015). A comprehensive overview of rural solid waste management in China. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, 9(6): 949–961 Zhang H, Wen Z, Chen Y (2016). Environment and economic feasibility of municipal solid waste central sorting strategy: a case study in Beijing. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, 10(4): 10 Zhang X (2021). Stability and change in strategic action fields: municipal solid waste incineration in China, 1988–2020. Chinese Journal of Sociology, 7(1): 48–73 Zhou C, Huang N, Yang G, Ma S (2022). Assessing the sustainability of municipal solid waste management in China 1980–2019. Sustainable Horizons, 2: 100020 Zhu Y, Zhang Y, Luo D, Chong Z, Li E, Kong X (2021). A review of municipal solid waste in China: characteristics, compositions, influential factors and treatment technologies. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 23(5): 6603–6622