Source Separation Of Household Waste Research Articles

Bridging Local Governments and Residents for Household Waste Source Separation Using a Business-Driven, Multi-Stakeholder Cooperative Partnership Model—A Case Study of HUGE Recycling in Yuhang, Hangzhou, China

Rapid economic development has led to an overwhelming surge in waste generation, demanding urgent and comprehensive waste management solutions, particularly in developing countries. Source separation is a critical and indispensable step in integrated waste management and is featured as a government-led pattern in general. However, its implementation challenges persist in many cities because of complex waste systems and a lack of multi-stakeholder partnerships. Since there is a paucity of empirical research focusing specifically on the recycling business, this study presents a case study of HUGE Recycling, operating in Yuhang District, Hangzhou, China, to explore the effectiveness of a business-driven, multi-stakeholder partnership model in promoting source separation. The paper reveals that the recycling business plays a significant role in bridging the gap between local governments, residents, and the recycling industry and identifies some key factors in the business-driven, multi-stakeholder cooperative partnership model, fulfilling the requirements of multi-stakeholders. This case fosters collaboration between local governments, residents, and the recycling industry, encouraging active participation and alleviating the government’s burden. The findings highlight the potential applicability of the HUGE Recycling Model to waste management in resource-constrained developing countries for better resource management.

Barriers to compulsory waste sorting for a circular economy in China

Household waste source separation substantially reduces the amount of rubbish sent to landfills and incinerators. It enables value recovery from useful waste for transitioning to a more resource efficient and circular economy. Confronted by the severe waste management problems, China recently implemented its most strict compulsory waste sorting program in big cities to date. Despite the failures of waste sorting projects in China in the past, it is unclear what the implementation barriers are, how they interact, and how they can be overcome. This study addresses this knowledge gap through a systematic barrier study involving all the relevant stakeholders in Shanghai and Beijing. It uncovers the complex interrelationships between barriers using the fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (Fuzzy DEMATEL) method. “Hasty and inappropriate planning” and “lack of policy support at the grassroots level”, two new barriers that are not reported in the literature, are found to be the most influential barriers. Policy implications are discussed based on the study findings to inform the policy deliberations on the implementation of compulsory waste sorting.

Internet of Things (IoT)-Enabled accountability in source separation of household waste for a circular economy in China

Source separation is regarded as a best practice for sustainable waste management, which is essential for a transition to a circular economy to recover value from waste. However, its implementation in China has faced many difficulties which are primarily inherent in the public’s behaviour towards source separation of household waste. Based on multiple cases of innovative use of the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in China in recent years, this study establishes the concept of IoT-enabled accountability in household waste source separation by utilising the lens of accountability theory. Moreover, this research advances several propositions on the multiple dimensions of accountability mechanism to influence user behaviours. The study’s findings provide guidance to governments, technology providers and waste management organisations on the use of IoT-based technological solutions for sustainable waste management. It stimulates future research on the use of IoT technologies in managing people’s behaviour in a range of contexts beyond waste management alone. The study contributes to the growing literature on smart waste management.

Nudging to promote household waste source separation: Mechanisms and spillover effects

Promoting waste source separation is one of the policy priorities for public authorities at all levels in China as well as other developing countries undergoing an extremely rapid expansion in waste generation. This paper views the selective waste collection schemes in pilot cities of China as one typical nudging policy and empirically examines its impacts on household waste source separation. Using a novel nationally representative dataset from the Chinese General Social Survey, we find that the pilot program significantly increases the frequency of household waste sorting, which are reinforced for people with high levels of social trust or low individualism. In addition, further evidence points to that the pilot program not only increases the frequency of household waste source separation in neighboring cities but also prominently stimulates waste prevention and reduction practices in targeted people. Finally, waste-related knowledge and interpersonal interaction are likely operative channels of impacts.

Relationships between personal values, micro-contextual factors and residents’ pro-environmental behaviors: An explorative study

Studies to date have shown that individual pro-environmental motivations do not always translate into pro-environmental behaviors. An important factor that modifies motivational strength is the context in which the behavior is embedded. Previous studies have largely been cross-national analyses that focus on macro-contextual factors, thus ignoring substantial variation in motivation-behavior associations at the local scale. In contrast, this study investigated the way micro-contextual mechanisms in residential areas (housing estates and communities) moderate the behavioral effects of personal values, one of the most fundamental motivations that guide individual environmental behaviors. Four contextual factors with particular attention were community environmental initiatives, social capital, local demographics, and built characteristics.The research data derived from a large-scale survey in Hangzhou, China, where community initiatives have been implemented widely to target household waste source separation. We examined our cross-level model for both waste sorting and nontarget environmental behaviors. The results showed that the associations between self-transcendent value prioritizations and waste sorting were stronger in residential areas with lower populations or community initiatives’ greater reliance on public-interest framing. Associations between value prioritizations and nontarget private behaviors were stronger in areas with lower social capital, more females, or more communal space for neighbor interactions. However, no contextual factors changed the strength of the links between value prioritizations and public behaviors. Overall, these findings highlight the significant role of micro-contextual factors in explaining the variations in motivation-behavior links. They also indicate that the characteristics of environmental behavior may moderate the dynamics between pro-environmental motivations and contextual factors further.

Quantification of Municipal Solid Waste-The Essential Basis in Waste Management in Tamale: A Ghanaian City

One of the key ingredients to a sustainable functional solid waste systems in any nation is the existence and continual review of data on solid waste management (SWM). Many urban areas in Ghana are heavily polluted with solid waste and Tamale metropolis is not an exception. Households in the metropolis generates enormous amount of solid waste coupled with waste management practices that inevitably affects the environment. The main objective of the study was to determine the physio-chemical parameter of solid waste at Russia bungalows in the Tamale metropolis. In view of this, the specific objectives of the study was to find out the quantity of solid waste generated, determine the moisture content of the waste, and to find out the waste generation rate of the solid waste applying mathematical models. The research gathered data from two main sources namely: secondary and primary sources. The three main techniques employed in gathering the primary data were: preliminary field investigation, physical separation and household survey. The following key findings were established during the analysis of the results and it showed that the quantity of solid waste generated in the study area was 81.70 kg. The total moisture content of the samples was found to be 48.29%, it means that the waste generated can be used as compost to produce fertiliser on farms. This also showed that the generation rate of solid waste was 0.3148 kg/cap/day. Mathematical model showed a weak relation between the quantity of waste generated and household size. Waste generation rates data are crucial in the wider waste systems planning processes. Further studies on source separation of household waste at different areas in the metropolis.

Economic incentive and social influence to overcome household waste separation dilemma: A field intervention study

China has experienced a rapid growth of solid waste over the years, household waste source-separation is becoming a nationwide strategy for promoting recycling economy and improving urban environmental sustainability. Waste separation, however, may end in failure due to the free-rider problem similarly existing in other pro-environmental collective actions. Along with the economic and sociological/social psychological logic respectively, this study tested the effects of economic incentive and social influence, which are theoretically considered as two general solutions to domestic waste separation dilemma. One hundred and eighty-eight residents in the three communities of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province were assigned to a control group or one of two experimental scenarios, where they were encouraged to participate in waste separation activities through either the economic rewards given on their performance, or door-stepping campaigns aimed at constructing a supportive social environment. Six-month intervention effects were analyzed and showed that economic inducement was more effective than social mobilization in promoting waste separation. Further mediation tests indicated that self-efficacy partially mediated the effects of both strategies, while personal norms were positively associated with two treatments instead of behavior demonstration. In addition, the moderating effects of several socio-demographic factors on psychological mechanisms were also explored. The findings, limitations and implications for future research and policy are discussed in the concluding section.

The Crowding-Out Effects of Garbage Fees and Voluntary Source Separation Programs on Waste Reduction: Evidence from China

This paper examines how and to what degree government policies of garbage fees and voluntary source separation programs, with free indoor containers and garbage bags, can affect the effectiveness of municipal solid waste (MSW) management, in the sense of achieving a desirable reduction of per capita MSW generation. Based on city-level panel data for years 1998–2012 in China, our empirical analysis indicates that per capita MSW generated is increasing with per capita disposable income, average household size, education levels of households, and the lagged per capita MSW. While both garbage fees and source separation programs have separately led to reductions in per capita waste generation, the interaction of the two policies has resulted in an increase in per capita waste generation due to the following crowding-out effects: Firstly, the positive effect of income dominates the negative effect of the garbage fee. Secondly, there are crowding-out effects of mandatory charging system and the subsidized voluntary source separation on per capita MSW generation. Thirdly, small subsidies and tax punishments have reduced the intrinsic motivation for voluntary source separation of MSW. Thus, compatible fee charging system, higher levels of subsidies, and well-designed public information and education campaigns are required to promote household waste source separation and reduction.

A Procedure to Transform Recycling Behavior for Source Separation of Household Waste

Household waste separation at the source is a central part of waste management systems in Sweden. Resource recovery of materials and energy increased substantially after separate collection was implemented in the 1990s. A procedure to transform recycling behavior for the sorting of household waste—called the recycling behavior transition (RBT) procedure—was designed and implemented in a waste management system in Sweden. Repeated use of this procedure, which will assist in the continual improvement of household sorting, consists of the following four consecutive steps: (i) evaluating the current sorting behavior; (ii) identifying appropriate interventions; (iii) implementing the interventions, and; (iv) assessing the quantitative effect of the interventions. This procedure follows action research methodology and it is the first time that such a procedure has been developed and implemented for the sorting of household waste. The procedure can easily be adapted to any source separation system (which may have different local situations) and, by improving the source separation, will increase the resource recovery in the waste management system. The RBT procedure, together with its strengths and weaknesses, is discussed in this paper, and its implementation is exemplified by a pilot study done in Sweden.

Source separation and recycling potential of municipal solid waste in Ghana

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the waste characteristics and separation efficiency of source separation of household waste in low- and middle-income communities in Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana. Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 60 households participated in the household survey, education on source separation and pilot source separation exercise. The solid waste was sorted into six fractions and three recycling categories (biodegradable; paper and plastic; residue). Findings – The mean generation rate of solid waste was 0.52±0.26 kg/per capita/day for the low-income community and 0.65±0.27 kg/per capita/day for the middle-income community. The waste fractions in the communities (low, middle income) were biodegradable organics (59.15, 65.68 per cent), plastics (11.01, 10.68 per cent), papers (3.15, 4.51 per cent), glass (0.89, 2.57 per cent), metals (0.96, 4.63 per cent) and miscellaneous (24.84, 11.93 per cent), respectively. The separation efficiency for organic category was 70 per cent, inorganic and residue was over 69 per cent and the paper and plastics was over 60 per cent. Research limitations/implications – The study suggests that the success of source separation programme hinges on education and economic incentives. It was noted that the sample size could be increased to enhance the accuracy of the data for prediction purpose. Practical implications – The findings showed there is potential for recycling through source separation programme in low-and middle-income communities. Public education and economic incentives are necessary for successful source separation programme. Originality/value – The paper provides insight into source separation to contribute to better understanding of how city authorities in developing countries could take advantage of economic incentives to scale-up recycling.

Quantitative assessment of distance to collection point and improved sorting information on source separation of household waste

The present study measures the participation of households in a source separation scheme and, in particular, if the household’s application of the scheme improved after two interventions: (a) shorter distance to the drop-off point and (b) easy access to correct sorting information. The effect of these interventions was quantified and, as far as possible, isolated from other factors that can influence the recycling behaviour. The study was based on households located in an urban residential area in Sweden, where waste composition studies were performed before and after the interventions by manual sorting (pick analysis). Statistical analyses of the results indicated a significant decrease (28%) of packaging and newsprint in the residual waste after establishing a property close collection system (intervention (a)), as well as significant decrease (70%) of the miss-sorted fraction in bags intended for food waste after new information stickers were introduced (intervention (b)). Providing a property close collection system to collect more waste fractions as well as finding new communication channels for information about sorting can be used as tools to increase the source separation ratio. This contribution also highlights the need to evaluate the effects of different types of information and communication concerning sorting instructions in a property close collection system.

Source separation of household waste: A case study in China

A pilot program concerning source separation of household waste was launched in Hangzhou, capital city of Zhejiang province, China. Detailed investigations on the composition and properties of household waste in the experimental communities revealed that high water content and high percentage of food waste are the main limiting factors in the recovery of recyclables, especially paper from household waste, and the main contributors to the high cost and low efficiency of waste disposal. On the basis of the investigation, a novel source separation method, according to which household waste was classified as food waste, dry waste and harmful waste, was proposed and performed in four selected communities. In addition, a corresponding household waste management system that involves all stakeholders, a recovery system and a mechanical dehydration system for food waste were constituted to promote source separation activity. Performances and the questionnaire survey results showed that the active support and investment of a real estate company and a community residential committee play important roles in enhancing public participation and awareness of the importance of waste source separation. In comparison with the conventional mixed collection and transportation system of household waste, the established source separation and management system is cost-effective. It could be extended to the entire city and used by other cities in China as a source of reference.

A comparison of waste-reduction practices and new environmental paradigm of rural and urban Chinese citizens

This paper compares the public attitudes of three southern Chinese cities/towns, namely Guangzhou, Dongguan, and Yuanzhou on waste recycling and avoidance, and the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP). The latter describes the concept of treating the resources and the ecosystems on Earth as things having their own rights rather than being subordinate and subservient to humans. These three places are chosen to represent areas in different stages of urbanization in the Guangdong province. As Hong Kong is also a southern Chinese city, where data of similar nature are available, comparison with Hong Kong is also made.It was found that the support for source separation of household waste in the rural and urban areas in mainland China was greater than that found in Hong Kong. Concerning actual practices on waste separation, about 85% of the respondents in the cities and almost all of the rural household surveyed have the habit of saving up and selling the recyclables. It is estimated that about 11–13% of the household waste was diverted in such a way. This is higher than the estimated 8% household waste recovery rate of Hong Kong. The majority of the respondents in the three surveyed cities have recovered household recyclables in the past but with higher family incomes, it was now less common. On the contrary, the lower income group tended to recover greater portion of their waste for selling to the waste depots. These findings have implications on the future waste management policy formulation in China.Regarding the acceptance of the New Environmental Paradigm, it was found that the rural population scored better than the urban population and they tended to agree more frequently with the NEP. However, the rural population perceives a greater potential for industrial and urban development without dampening environmental quality. It was also found that the NEP scores of the mainland Chinese are higher, in general, than their Hong Kong counterparts as measured in early 1990s.Insufficient public support has often been a concern for source separation programmes in all countries despite the obvious waste management benefits of recycling. This study shows that there is overwhelming support for source separation of waste in Mainland China, whether it is in rural or urban communities, and that most people are already undertaking source separation due to the redemption value of the recyclables. Therefore, for policy-makers, the concern should not be on whether the public knows how to separate the waste but rather on how to motivate them to separate waste for the good of society, and how to maintain an effective market for recyclables.

The attitudes of Guangzhou citizens on waste reduction and environmental issues

Source separation of waste is considered an effective means to enhance waste recycling and it is especially so with Guangzhou. Guangzhou is one of the most populated cities in the world and is facing waste management problems such as increasing cost in waste transport and disposal, local opposition to landfill siting and shortage of waste disposal facilities. In 1997 a questionnaire survey on the attitude and opinion of Guangzhou citizens on source separation of household waste and the acceptance of the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) was conducted by the authors. About 800 questionnaires were distributed with a response rate of over 98%. It was found that the environmental awareness of Guangzhou citizens was slightly higher than their Hong Kong counterparts in the early 1990 but slightly lower than the Americans' in the late 1970's to early 1980's. Also, some 5% of the surveyed population in Guangzhou showed unfamiliarity with the NEP issues. At the same time, the younger generation, especially those below the age of 17, were found to be more pro-NEP than their older counterparts. Thus, more education and publicity in introducing general environmental concepts to the grown up citizens of Guangzhou are required. In the area of household waste recycling, support for source separation of household waste and waste recovery practice in Guangzhou were found to be greater than those in Hong Kong. Since a new door to door bagged waste collection system is being phased in to replace the older waste collection method in Guangzhou, it is expected that the traditional waste scavenging system will be adversely affected and the waste recovery rate may decrease as a result. For the purpose of resource conservation, it is suggested that a systematic and comprehensive household waste source separation programme should be tried out in Guangzhou. Deploying an unskilled labour force and existing scavengers in organized source separation programmes is also a recommended solution.