A comprehensive assessment of the performance of China’s provincial zero-waste cities and impact factor diagnosis

Abstract

The large disparities in resource endowment and economic development in different regions have caused large differences in promoting zero-waste (ZW) cities. This study comprehensively considers the whole life cycle chain of solid waste and the guarantee mechanism for promoting the development of ZW cities, and constructs an index system from four dimensions: solid waste reduction at the source, solid waste resource utilization, solid waste final disposal, and development of security capacity. Furthermore, it adopts the TOPSIS–entropy weight method to evaluate the development status of ZW cities in 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities under the Central Government of China from 2010 to 2019 (Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan were excluded due to lack of data). The results show an upward trend of ZW levels in twenty-five provinces; a downward trend in four provinces, namely, Fujian, Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning; and a roughly f lat trend in two provinces, namely Henan, and Ningxia. Yunnan, Gansu, and Guizhou provinces have the most significant improvement in the ZW levels. Meanwhile, the eastern region has the highest ZW level, followed by the central and western regions. Combined with Geographic Information System (GIS), the solid waste management capacity of each region was analysed on the basis of the aforementioned four dimensions. Spatial differences were determined in the solid waste management characteristics of different regions. In terms of source reduction, the central and a few western regions have the best performance. Furthermore, the final disposal in the north is higher than that in the south, and the resourcefulness and development of security capacity show a clear decreasing trend from the east to west. Using a multiple linear regression analysis model, we analysed the potential factors affecting the ZW level of each region from four aspects: economy, technology, resource endowment, and education. The results indicated significant differences in the role of the same type of index in the ZW levels in each region. This paper assessed the performance of China’s ZW cities from both temporal and spatial perspectives, and the relevant influencing factors were further examined. It can provide a theoretical support and decision-making basis for China to improve ZW level further, narrow down the regional gaps, and implement green development and high-quality economic transformation, with important theoretical and practical values.