Abstract
Municipal solid waste (MSW) is the derivative of urban development and it is harmful to the environment and residents’ health. But with sustainable MSW management, MSW can be applied as an important renewable energy. In order to achieve sustainable MSW management, it is necessary to understand the mechanism of MSW generation. Consumption patterns differ in various regions of China, which make the influencing factors of MSW have unique characteristics. To explore the factors influencing MSW generation in China, this study builds a global model based on the panel data of 30 Chinese provinces. Considering regional heterogeneity, provinces are clustered into three groups according to economic and consumption indicators. Each group has its own local model of MSW generation. The results show that household expenditure on housing and the tertiary industry proportion show opposite impacting directions in high-level and low-level provinces. Finally, with the combination of the grey model (1,1) (GM(1,1)) and multiple linear regression (MLR), we find that developing provinces will generate more MSW than developed regions. According to this, different provinces should control MSW by optimizing consumption pattern and efficient fiscal expenditure, and developing provinces should pay attention to MSW management and learn from the experience of developed provinces.
Highlights
Urbanization, the development of the economy, and improved living standards and lifestyles of people have caused a sharp growth in municipal solid waste (MSW), especially in developing countries
MSW generation models in different areas, and the results show that population density and the unemployment rate both reduce MSW generation
In addition to typical influencing factors, this paper focuses more on the impact of China’s unique consumption patterns on MSW generation
Summary
Urbanization, the development of the economy, and improved living standards and lifestyles of people have caused a sharp growth in municipal solid waste (MSW), especially in developing countries. Inappropriate or inefficient waste disposal methods will cause serious air, soil, and groundwater pollution, which will negatively affect the urban environment and threaten the health of residents [1]. MSW itself may have a negative influence on the economic development, recycling of MSW has the prospect of achieving economic and environmental benefits [2,3]. With the development of improved technology, MSW can be an important type of renewable energy, which can reduce the dependence on traditional fossil energy. China is a producer of large volumes of MSW due to its large population and high population growth rate. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
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