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The Waste Management System in China and Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories

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Source Separation and Recycling

Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC,volume 63))

Abstract

The increase in waste generation amounts and its Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are two main pressures for the Chinese government. The development process of the waste management system was summarized. The corresponding GHG emissions pattern was studied, and the potential reduction measurements were also proposed based on the different steps for the waste management system. It was found that the total estimated GHG increased from 10.95 million tons (1991) to 72.4 million tons CO2-equiv (2013) on the basis of the IPCC methods. Landfill was the main GHG source, as the corresponding percentage increased to the peak of 82% (1999) and finally to 69.5% (2013) in the period studied. Eastern China was the dominant CO2 emission region, while the percentage decreased from 39.6% (2003) to 26.4% (2013). To get more detailed GHG emissions from landfills, the bottom-to-top method was applied to estimate the corresponding emissions and reduction potential from 1,955 landfills in 2012. The source reduction in MSW and the diversion alternatives for landfills are indirect, while useful GHG mitigation way for the reduction of the terminal disposal amounts and its GHG emissions through the implementation of “pay-as-you-throw” and an environmental protection tax.

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Abbreviations

EC:

Eastern China

FOD:

First-order decay model

IPCC:

Intergovernmental panel on climate change

LCF:

Landfill gas collection and flaring

LCSR:

Landfill cover soil reactor

LFG:

Landfill gas

MC:

Middle China

MHDC:

Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People’s Republic of China

ML:

Mineral landfill

MSW:

Municipal solid waste

Mt:

Million tons

NC:

Northern China

NE:

Northeastern China

NMS:

Nitrate mineral salts

NW:

Northwestern China

OLCS:

Original landfill cover soil

PVC:

Polyvinyl chloride

RL:

Renewable landfill

RPL:

Refinement process for MSW landfilling

SC:

Southern China

SLCS:

Simulated landfill cover soil

SW:

Southwestern China

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

    Lou Ziyang

  2. Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing, China

    Xing Zhilin & Zhao Tiantao

  3. Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

    Cheng Zhaowen

  4. Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning, Beijing, 100012, China

    Cai Bofeng

Authors
  1. Lou Ziyang
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  2. Xing Zhilin
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  3. Cheng Zhaowen
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  4. Zhao Tiantao
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  5. Cai Bofeng
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lou Ziyang .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Waste Management and Circular Economy, Technische Universität Dresden, Pirna, Germany

    Roman Maletz  & Christina Dornack  & 

  2. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

    Lou Ziyang

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Ziyang, L., Zhilin, X., Zhaowen, C., Tiantao, Z., Bofeng, C. (2017). The Waste Management System in China and Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories. In: Maletz, R., Dornack, C., Ziyang, L. (eds) Source Separation and Recycling. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 63. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2017_32

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