Exploring the development of municipal solid waste disposal facilities in Chinese cities: patterns and drivers

Highlights

● We tracked Chinese cities’ MSW disposal infrastructure development history.

● Diverse patterns and drivers were uncovered with empirical analysis.

● Patterns were shaped by regional imbalances and features.

Abstract

Rapid urbanization in Chinese cities has led to a surge in municipal solid waste (MSW) generation, necessitating the development of high-quality MSW disposal facilities. This study utilizes multi-source data and regression models to examine the status, development pathways, and driving forces of MSW disposal facilities in China. Our findings reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship between the capacities or numbers of MSW disposal facilities and GDP per capita of cities. Historical data show that cities in East and Southeast China preferred incineration, while cities in West and Central China developed landfills more, largely shaped by the imbalance of development levels and endowments among regions in China. The study also identifies mixed and differentiated influences of socio-economic factors on capacity expansion and increases in the number of MSW disposal facilities. The results suggest the need for updated construction guidelines and regulations, as well as enhanced technological and managerial capabilities for MSW infrastructure. These findings can inform policymakers and practitioners in their efforts to promote sustainable waste management practices in China.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

China / Municipal solid waste (MSW) / Landfill / Incineration / Proliferation patterns / Driving forces

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Acknowledgements

This research was started and conducted as part of X.L.’s postdoctoral research mentored by M.C. at Yale University (United States) and was continued with after X.L. moved to Xi’an Jiaotong University (XJTU, China). M.C. and X.L. acknowledge the financial support of the PIRE Award (No. 1243535) of the US National Science Foundation on the first stage of the research. X.L. acknowledges the financial support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52200220) and the start-up grant (No. GG6J008) of XJTU on the second stage of the research. Y.R. acknowledges the financial support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52200217). The graphical abstract was created with contribution from Freepik under the free-to-use license.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Electronic Supplementary Material

Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-023-1739-4 and is accessible for authorized users.

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