Regional differences in municipal solid waste collection quantities in China

Abstract

The rapid growth in urban population has led to a dramatic increase in municipal solid waste (MSW) generation, with ramifications more pronounced in developing countries. The regional Chinese governments have made great efforts to reduce MSW generation and collection quantities. However, the results of these efforts vary across cities. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the regional differences in MSW collection quantities. A two-level hierarchical linear model (HLM) was used to examine the variations in MSW collection quantities among 287 prefecture-level cites in China over the period from 2008 to 2017. The analysis reveals a strong negative correlation between the regional economic development level and the growth trend of MSW collection quantities. The empirical findings indicate that the level of economic development and waste collection measures are critical determinants of MSW collection quantities.