Editor's note

Abstract

Limited success in 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) implementation and conflicts in waste treatment plant construction call for active and sustained public participation in Chinese waste management. It is especially important to identify factors which affect citizen participation in waste reduction and recycling where waste policies are poorly implemented. In this paper we report the results of a research-constructed survey conducted in Xiamen, one of eight cities in China which have been operating waste source separation pilot programs since 2000. The results showed that while more than half of respondents were satisfied with local waste management, waste recycling was still inefficient and largely carried out by the informal sector. Satisfaction rates and basic residential house prices were positively correlated, and the satisfaction rate was higher in newly urbanizing areas than in old downtown and urban village areas. A structural equation model was used to identify key factors influencing citizen environmental willingness to participate in waste management, and this indicated that the most important influencing factor was citizen knowledge, followed by social motivation, while institutional factors had the smallest positive effect. Citizens who were better informed and lived in a community/family with more environmentally friendly behaviors have a greater propensity to participate in sustainable waste management. The model is useful for identifying causal relationships and ranking influencing factors in terms of their importance. The results indicate a waste policy hierarchy in Chinese cities, and future waste management should change from the current legislative-centered strategy. The results can be used to inform decision makers find locally effective strategies to improve public participation in waste management in accordance with socioeconomic and cultural conditions in China.