environmental awareness of residents and (6) achievements such as presentation of
new waste disposal system of public-private partnership.
18.1 Introduction
As described in Chap. 17, in order to realize a recycling-oriented society covering a
large area, circulation must be divided into medium circulation and global circulation. In this chapter, we analyze the Chinese Pujiang model of rural and urban
mixed-type household waste disposal through public-private partnerships and discuss its role in the establishment of an East Asian Community.
Currently, the Chinese government aims to move toward a “recycling-oriented
economic society” that utilizes regional characteristics to properly dispose of household waste according to national policies on improvement of living standards. The
government is paying particular attention to Pujiang County as an example of a
model of a household waste disposal system on the rural-urban fringe. The system
has been in operation since 2014 and is being considered for application to other
similar areas.
This chapter summarizes household waste issues currently faced in rural China,
with respect to the desire for a sustainable recycling-oriented society. Based on
interviews and field research in Pujiang County, we analyze the sustainability of the
model from the perspectives of economy, the environment, and society. Although
this solution to waste is unique to rural areas, we explore applicability of solutions to
waste problems in other areas in China.
18.2 Household Waste Disposal in Rural China
One of the major characteristics of the household waste disposal problem in China is
its severity in rural-urban fringe areas. According to the Sixth National Population
Census (2010), 70.86% of the population in China is in rural areas. The economy in
rural areas has rapidly developed due to the cooperative promotion of industrialization, information technology, urbanization, and modernization of agriculture. With
this rapid economic development, waste disposal in rural areas has become an urgent
problem. The total amount of household waste generated in China is now the largest
globally, and the amount of waste per capita is rapidly increasing.
The amount of urban household waste collected and transported in 2017
exceeded 150 kg per capita, which is approximately one-third of the average per
capita waste from 36 OECD countries (household waste and bulky waste collected
by local governments) and approximately half of Japan’s daily waste per capita. The
volume of waste is expected to continue increasing due to population growth and
economic development. Each region of rural China now actively promotes management of household waste, through the uptake of a waste treatment system called
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new waste disposal system of public-private partnership.
18.1 Introduction
As described in Chap. 17, in order to realize a recycling-oriented society covering a
large area, circulation must be divided into medium circulation and global circulation. In this chapter, we analyze the Chinese Pujiang model of rural and urban
mixed-type household waste disposal through public-private partnerships and discuss its role in the establishment of an East Asian Community.
Currently, the Chinese government aims to move toward a “recycling-oriented
economic society” that utilizes regional characteristics to properly dispose of household waste according to national policies on improvement of living standards. The
government is paying particular attention to Pujiang County as an example of a
model of a household waste disposal system on the rural-urban fringe. The system
has been in operation since 2014 and is being considered for application to other
similar areas.
This chapter summarizes household waste issues currently faced in rural China,
with respect to the desire for a sustainable recycling-oriented society. Based on
interviews and field research in Pujiang County, we analyze the sustainability of the
model from the perspectives of economy, the environment, and society. Although
this solution to waste is unique to rural areas, we explore applicability of solutions to
waste problems in other areas in China.
18.2 Household Waste Disposal in Rural China
One of the major characteristics of the household waste disposal problem in China is
its severity in rural-urban fringe areas. According to the Sixth National Population
Census (2010), 70.86% of the population in China is in rural areas. The economy in
rural areas has rapidly developed due to the cooperative promotion of industrialization, information technology, urbanization, and modernization of agriculture. With
this rapid economic development, waste disposal in rural areas has become an urgent
problem. The total amount of household waste generated in China is now the largest
globally, and the amount of waste per capita is rapidly increasing.
The amount of urban household waste collected and transported in 2017
exceeded 150 kg per capita, which is approximately one-third of the average per
capita waste from 36 OECD countries (household waste and bulky waste collected
by local governments) and approximately half of Japan’s daily waste per capita. The
volume of waste is expected to continue increasing due to population growth and
economic development. Each region of rural China now actively promotes management of household waste, through the uptake of a waste treatment system called
322
K. Cheon et al.