Carbon emissions calculation from municipal solid waste and the influencing factors analysis in China

Abstract

This research calculates the carbon emissions from municipal solid waste (MSW) across 31 provinces in China from 2003 to 2012. The calculation uses IPCC (2006) recommended methods and is divided into four parts according to the four processing modes (sanitary landfill, simple landfill, burning, and composting) with the actual conditions of China. There are four ways to treat MSW: sanitary landfill, simple landfill, burning, and composting. Composting produces the least carbon emissions, followed by burning which produces the second lowest levels of emissions. The most emissions were from sanitary landfill, which is unfortunately the most common ways for treating MSW in China. The growth rates of MSW and its carbon emission exhibit both similarities and differences. Furthermore, this research analyses those factors influencing the emissions by using two models. The effects of tertiary industries on gross domestic product (GDP) and urban per capita disposable income on household spending were used OLS. The effects of MSW treatment method and household spending on carbon emissions from MSW were established with generalized moment method (GMM). The results show that the rate of tertiary industry in overall GDP and the urban per capita disposable income have an indirect positive effect on MSW carbon emissions. Reduced carbon emissions from MSW, to a greater extent, may be brought from burning and composting.