Characterizing Urban Household Waste Generation and Metabolism Considering Community Stratification in a Rapid Urbanizing Area of China

PLOS ONE, Dec 2019

The relationship between social stratification and municipal solid waste generation remains uncertain under current rapid urbanization. Based on a multi-object spatial sampling technique, we selected 191 households in a rapidly urbanizing area of Xiamen, China. The selected communities were classified into three types: work-unit, transitional, and commercial communities in the context of housing policy reform in China. Field survey data were used to characterize household waste generation patterns considering community stratification. Our results revealed a disparity in waste generation profiles among different households. The three community types differed with respect to family income, living area, religious affiliation, and homeowner occupation. Income, family structure, and lifestyle caused significant differences in waste generation among work-unit, transitional, and commercial communities, respectively. Urban waste generation patterns are expected to evolve due to accelerating urbanization and associated community transition. A multi-scale integrated analysis of societal and ecosystem metabolism approach was applied to waste metabolism linking it to particular socioeconomic conditions that influence material flows and their evolution. Waste metabolism, both pace and density, was highest for family structure driven patterns, followed by lifestyle and income driven. The results will guide community-specific management policies in rapidly urbanizing areas.

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Characterizing Urban Household Waste Generation and Metabolism Considering Community Stratification in a Rapid Urbanizing Area of China

Yu Z (2015) Characterizing Urban Household Waste Generation and Metabolism Considering Community Stratification in a Rapid Urbanizing Area of China. PLoS ONE 10(12): e0145405. doi:10.1371/journal. pone.0145405 Characterizing Urban Household Waste Generation and Metabolism Considering Community Stratification in a Rapid Urbanizing Area of China Lishan Xiao 0 1 Tao Lin 0 1 Shaohua Chen 0 1 Guoqin Zhang 0 1 Zhilong Ye 0 1 Zhaowu Yu 0 1 0 Editor: Tzen-Yuh Chiang, National Cheng-Kung University , TAIWAN 1 1 Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Xiamen , China , 2 Xiamen Key Lab of Urban Metabolism , Xiamen , China The relationship between social stratification and municipal solid waste generation remains uncertain under current rapid urbanization. Based on a multi-object spatial sampling technique, we selected 191 households in a rapidly urbanizing area of Xiamen, China. The selected communities were classified into three types: work-unit, transitional, and commercial communities in the context of housing policy reform in China. Field survey data were used to characterize household waste generation patterns considering community stratification. Our results revealed a disparity in waste generation profiles among different households. The three community types differed with respect to family income, living area, religious affiliation, and homeowner occupation. Income, family structure, and lifestyle caused significant differences in waste generation among work-unit, transitional, and commercial communities, respectively. Urban waste generation patterns are expected to evolve due to accelerating urbanization and associated community transition. A multi-scale integrated analysis of societal and ecosystem metabolism approach was applied to waste metabolism linking it to particular socioeconomic conditions that influence material flows and their evolution. Waste metabolism, both pace and density, was highest for family structure driven patterns, followed by lifestyle and income driven. The results will guide community-specific management policies in rapidly urbanizing areas. - OPEN ACCESS Introduction Waste generation and resource shortages have long been recognized as two of the greatest challenges facing human society[ 1 ]. Urban metabolism is the sum of the technical and socio-economic processes resulting in growth, energy production, and waste elimination [ 2 ]. Solid waste is a major product of urban metabolism, accounting for 30% of the total material input[ 3 ]. Waste metabolism is part of urban metabolic process and threatens the sustainability of cities, indicating that urbanization is accelerating entropy with no promising resolution in the near and Technology Foundation of Xiamen City, Grant No. 3502Z20111049. future[ 4–5 ]. However, waste is a good indicator of urban function during in urban sprawl when comparing multi-scale urban metabolisms to guide the development of public policies [6]. Waste management is one of the most important services provided by a city, and the effectiveness of waste management directly affects the sustainability of a city[ 7 ]. As populations are concentrated in cities, waste management becomes an increasingly complex challenge involving psychological, political, and economical factors[ 8 ]. With the unprecedented spread of urbanization, China is undergoing a rapid growth rate of municipal solid waste. Currently, China is the world’s largest waste generator, and solid waste management involves numerous environmental and administrative challenges [ 9–10 ]. A framework of waste management strategies aiming to reduce waste and promote recycling was promulgated by the Chinese central government in 2008 to alter solid waste generation habits and waste disposal activities in China. However, the strategies had limited success despite considerable financial investment from the government[11]. Municipal solid waste has increased from 154 million tons in 2008 to 171 million ton in 2012. Waste mismanagement has transformed environmental problems into social conflicts in China. Waste management systems are on an unsustainable trajectory in the world’s largest waste-generating country. So far, studies on waste management have focused on the factors influencing waste generation in both developed and developing countries[ 12–15 ]. Information about relevant influential factors is essential to predict the consequences of changes in economic systems, demographics, and policy measures on future waste generation[16]. Income and family size are highly cited as major determinants affecting solid waste generation. Other factors such as population density, education, family structure, lifestyle, geographic features, and policies also inevitably influence waste generation and composition[ 17–23 ]. Waste management is a complex eco-social system that is shaped by these factors[ 24 ]. Researchers have also reco (...truncated)


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Lishan Xiao, Tao Lin, Shaohua Chen, Guoqin Zhang, Zhilong Ye, Zhaowu Yu. Characterizing Urban Household Waste Generation and Metabolism Considering Community Stratification in a Rapid Urbanizing Area of China, PLOS ONE, 2015, 12, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0145405