Abstract
A comprehensive evaluation of public participation in rural domestic waste (RDW) source-separated collection in China was carried out within a social-dimension framework, specifically in terms of public perception, awareness, attitude, and willingness to pay for RDW management. The evaluation was based on a case study conducted in Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, which is a representative of most inland areas of the country with a GDP around the national average. It was found that unlike urban residents, rural residents maintained a high rate of recycling, but in a spontaneous manner; they paid more attention to issues closely related to their daily lives, but less attention to those at the general level; their awareness of RDW source-separated collection was low and different age groups showed significantly different preferences regarding the sources of knowledge acquirement. Among potential information sources, village committees played a very important role in knowledge dissemination; for the respondents’ pro-environmental attitudes, the influencing factor of “lack of legislation/policy” was considered to be significant; mandatory charges for waste collection and disposal had a high rate of acceptance among rural residents; and high monthly incomes had a positive correlation with both public pro-environmental attitudes and public willingness to pay for extra charges levied by RDW management. These observations imply that, for decision-makers in the short term, implementing mandatory RDW source-separated collection programs with enforced guidelines and economic compensation is more effective, while in the long run, promoting pro-environmental education to rural residents is more important.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
The sanitary condition was based on the county government’s annual evaluation.
“Out migration for work” means rural residents, mostly young adults, temporarily move to cities to work.
References
Abduli, M. A., Samieifard, R., & Jalili Ghazi Zade, M. (2008). Rural solid waste management. International Journal of Environmental Research, 2(4), 425–430.
Agresti, A. (1996). An introduction to categorical data analysis. New York: Wiley.
Apostol, L., & Mihai, F. C. (2012). Rural waste management: challenges and issues in Romania. Present Environment and Sustainable Development, 6, 105–114.
Babbie, E. R. (1989). The practice of social research (5th ed.). Belmont: Wadsworth.
Che, Y., Yang, K., Jin, Y., Zhang, W., Shang, Z., & Tai, J. (2013). Residents’ concerns and attitudes toward a municipal solid waste landfill: integrating a questionnaire survey and GIS techniques. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 185(12), 10001–10013. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-013-3308-y.
Chung, S. S., & Poon, C. S. (2001). A comparison of waste-reduction practices and new environmental paradigm of rural and urban Chinese citizens. Journal of Environmental Management, 62(1), 3–19. https://doi.org/10.1006/jema.2000.0408.
De Feo, G., & De Gisi, S. (2010). Public opinion and awareness towards MSW and separate collection programmes: a sociological procedure for selecting areas and citizens with a low level of knowledge. Waste Management, 30(6), 958–976. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2010.02.019.
Dolezalova, M., Benesova, L., & Zavodska, A. (2013). The changing character of household waste in the Czech Republic between 1999 and 2009 as a function of home heating methods. Waste Management, 33(9), 1950–1957. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2013.04.017.
Ferreira, S., & Marques, R. C. (2015). Contingent valuation method applied to waste management. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 99, 111–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2015.02.013.
Gowda, M. C., Raghavan, G. S. B., Ranganna, B., & Barrington, S. (1995). Rural waste management in a south Indian village—a case study. Bioresource Technology, 53(2), 157–164. https://doi.org/10.1016/0960-8524(95)00078-S.
Guilin People’s Government (2014). Overview of Administrative Division. http://www.guilin.gov.cn/glyx/glgk2014/xzqh/201406/t20140620_420883.htm Accessed 01 May 2017.
Han, Z., Liu, D., Lei, Y., Wu, J., & Li, S. (2015). Characteristics and management of domestic waste in the rural area of Southwest China. Waste Management & Research, 33(1), 39–47. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X14558668.
He, P. J. (2012). Municipal solid waste in rural areas of developing country: do we need special treatment mode? Waste Management, 32(7), 1289–1290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2012.03.023.
Hosmer, D. W., & Lemeshow, S. (2000). Applied logistic regression (2nd ed.). New York: Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/0471722146.
Huang, K. X., Wang, J. X., Bai, J. F., & Qiu, H. G. (2013). Domestic solid waste discharge and its determinants in rural China. China Agricultural Economic Review, 5(4), 512–525. https://doi.org/10.1108/CAER-02-2012-0008.
Jin, J., Wang, Z., & Ran, S. (2006). Comparison of contingent valuation and choice experiment in solid waste management programs in Macao. Ecological Economics, 57(3), 430–441. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2005.04.020.
Keramitsoglou, K. M., & Tsagarakis, K. P. (2013). Public participation in designing a recycling scheme towards maximum public acceptance. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 70, 55–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2012.09.015.
Lake, I., Bateman, I. J., & Park, W. M. (1996). Assessing a kerbside recycling scheme: a quantitative and willingness to pay case study. Journal of Environmental Management, 46(3), 239–254. https://doi.org/10.1006/jema.1996.0019.
Lal, P., Tabunakawai, M., & Singh, S. K., 2007. Economics of rural waste management in the Rewa Province and development of a rural solid waste management policy for Fiji. IWP-Pacific Technical Report (international Waters Project) no. 57.
Li, Y., Xv, S., & Zhou, J. (2011). Precaution policy and investigation on pollution status of rural domestic waste in Beijing. Advanced Materials Research, 250-253, 3854–3857. https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.250-253.3854.
Liu, Y., & Huang, J. (2014). Rural domestic waste disposal: an empirical analysis in five provinces of China. China Agricultural Economic Review, 6(4), 558–573. https://doi.org/10.1108/CAER-05-2013-0076.
Liu, C., Wang, Q. X., Mizuochi, M. K., Wang, L., & Lin, Y. M. (2008). Human behavioral impact on nitrogen flow—a case study of the rural areas of the middle and lower reaches of the Changjiang river, China. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment, 125(1–4), 84–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2007.12.001.
Long, J. S., & Freese, J. (2001). Regression models for categorical dependent variables using STATA. Texas: Stata Press.
Lu, W., & Wang, H. (2008). Role of rural solid waste management in non-point source pollution control of Dianchi Lake catchment, China. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering in China, 2(1), 15–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-008-0006-z.
Ma, J., & Hipel, K. W. (2016). Exploring social dimensions of municipal solid waste management around the globe—a systematic literature review. Waste Management, 56, 3–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2016.06.041.
Ma, J., Hipel, K. W., & Hanson, M. L. (2017). Public participation in municipal solid waste source-separated collection in Guilin, China: status and influencing factors. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 60(12), 2174–2191. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2017.1281798.
Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People’s Republic of China (MOHURD). 2000. “Notification about municipal solid waste separated-collection pilot cities 2000. June 1, 2000.” http://www.mohurd.gov.cn/zcfg/jsbwj_0/jsbwjcsjs/200611/t20061101_156932.html [In Chinese]. Accessed 22 October 2015.
Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People’s Republic of China (MOHURD). 2015. “2015 Statistical Yearbook of Urban and Rural Construction.” http://www.mohurd.gov.cn/xytj/tjzljsxytjgb/index.html [In Chinese]. Accessed 16 November 2017.
Mosier, A. R., Bleken, M. A., Chaiwanakupt, P., Ellis, E. C., Freney, J. R., Howarth, R. B., Matson, P. A., Minami, K., Naylor, R., Weeks, K. N., & Zhu, Z. (2002). Policy implications of human-accelerated nitrogen cycling. Biogeochemistry, 57–58(1), 477–516.
National Bureau of Statistics of China. (2011). China Statistical Yearbook 2010. Beijing: China Statistical Press [In Chinese].
National Bureau of Statistics of China (2014). Regional Domestic Product. http://data.stats.gov.cn/easyquery.htm?cn=E0103. Accessed 01 May, 2017.
Nie, Y. F., & Dong, B. S. (1998). Solid waste management and minimization in China. Environmental Protection, 2, 6–9 [In Chinese].
Nixon, H., & Saphores, J. M. (2007). Financing electronic waste recycling Californian households’ willingness to pay advanced recycling fees. Journal of Environmental Management, 84(4), 547–559. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2006.07.003.
Read, A. (1999). A weekly door-step recycling collection, I had no idea we could!—overcoming the local barriers to participation. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 26(3-4), 217–249. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-3449(99)00008-7.
Tai, J., Zhang, W., Che, Y., & Feng, D. (2011). Municipal solid waste source-separated collection in China: a comparative analysis. Waste Management, 31(8), 1673–1682. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2011.03.014.
Tang, L. X., & Zuo, T. (2008). Environment pollution in rural China: evidences from 141 villages. China Rural Survey, 1, 31–38 [In Chinese].
Wang, A. A., Pei, T. Q., Huang, C., & Yuan, H. (2009). Management of municipal solid waste in the Three Gorges region. Waste Management, 29(7), 2203–2208.
Wang, J. X., Li, Y. M., Huang, K. X., & Chen, H. (2011). Treatment situation and determinants of rural domestic waste. China Population, Resources and Environment, 21(6), 78–82 [In Chinese].
Wei, X., Liu, X., & Shu, Y. (2007). Characteristics of pollution in rural habitats and analysis on causation: a survey based on the status quo of China’s rural drinking water and environmental sanitation. China Development, 7(4), 92–98 [In Chinese].
Wu, P. F., Cui, C. H., Zhou, L. X., & Li, C. (2006). Characteristics and management pattern of household solid wastes in relatively developed rural areas of China: a case study of Tai Lake Region. Journal of Agro-Envirnment Science, 25(1), 237–243 [In Chinese].
Wu, D., Zhang, C. Y., Lv, F., Shao, L., & He, P. (2014). The operation of cost-effective on-site process for the bio-treatment of mixed municipal solid waste in rural areas. Waste Management, 34(6), 999–1005. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2013.12.002.
Yang, L., Li, Z. S., & Fu, H. Z. (2011). Model of municipal solid waste source separation activity: a case study of Beijing. Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association, 61(2), 157–163. https://doi.org/10.3155/1047-3289.61.2.157.
Yao, W., Qu, X. G., Li, H. X., & Fu, Y. F. (2009). Production, collection and treatment of garbage in rural areas in China. Journal of Environmental Health, 26(1), 12–14 [In Chinese].
Ye, C. H., & Qin, P. (2008). Provision of residential solid waste management service in rural China. China & World Economy, 16(5), 118–128. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-124X.2008.00133.x.
Zar, J. H. (1999). Biostatistical analysis (4th ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Zeng, C., Niu, D., & Zhao, Y. (2015). A comprehensive overview of rural solid waste management in China. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, 9(6), 949–961. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-015-0816-8.
Zhang, W., Shi, M., & Huang, Z. (2006). Controlling non-point-source pollution by rural resource recycling. Nitrogen runoff in Tai Lake valley, China, as an example. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment, 1(1), 83–89.
Zhang, D. Q., Tan, S. K., & Gersberg, R. M. (2010). Municipal solid waste management in China: status, problems and challenges. Journal of Environmental Management, 91(8), 1623–1633. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2010.03.012.
Zhang, W., Che, Y., Yang, K., Ren, X., & Tai, J. (2012). Public opinion about the source separation of municipal solid waste in Shanghai, China. Waste Management and Research, 30(12), 1261–1271. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X12462277.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank all participants who were willing to be a part of this study and all volunteers who contributed their valuable time to this research.
Funding
This work was supported by the Social Science and Humanity Research Council, Canada (grant number 771-2013-0004-A28).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ma, J., Hipel, K.W. & Hanson, M.L. An evaluation of the social dimensions in public participation in rural domestic waste source-separated collection in Guilin, China. Environ Monit Assess 190, 35 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-017-6405-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-017-6405-5