Driving factors and their interactions of takeaway packaging waste generation in China

Abstract

The growing food delivery industry has led to the emergence of takeaway packaging waste generation (TPWG) as a pressing environmental issue, particularly in China. Regional heterogeneity in socioeconomic development, population size, and geographical location results in large differences in the regional TPWG in China. This study explored the socioeconomic and environmental drivers of TPWG in 2018 and their interactions based on the geographical detector model. The results showed that socioeconomic factors (i.e., nighttime economy) had significant exacerbating effects, and their interactions further amplified the impacts on TPWG. The one-way effect of environmental factors was minimal; however, the effects were enhanced upon their interactions with socioeconomic factors (i.e., urbanization and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita). The interactions between education level and socioeconomic factors (i.e., percentage of millennial) reduced TPWG. By combining the spatial statistical analysis, this study provided a way of thought in exploring interactions (i.e., direction, strength, nonlinearity) between driving factors of TPWG. Results could provide decision-making basis for localized and targeted municipal waste management and packaging waste reduction. Inhibitory drivers and their decreasing interactions should be better taken into account in policymaking to provide novel insights for effective takeaway packaging waste management in China and other countries with fast-growing food delivery industries.