Publication detail

Household waste management in Singapore and Shanghai: Experiences, challenges and opportunities from the perspective of emerging megacities

Zhou, J., Li, L., Wang, Q., Fan, Y.V., Liu, X., Klemeš, J.J., Wang, X., Tong, Y.W., Jiang, P.

Original Title

Household waste management in Singapore and Shanghai: Experiences, challenges and opportunities from the perspective of emerging megacities

Type

journal article in Web of Science

Language

English

Original Abstract

Due to rapid economic development and urbanisation, emerging megacities with dense populations have witnessed a significant increase in waste generation. Megacities face challenges in developing sustainable waste management systems. Considerable heterogeneity exists across megacities in management strategies. The two selected emerging megacities, Singapore (a city-state) and Shanghai, have similar developmental characteristics, but their waste management modes differ strikingly. This study assessed the two modes in terms of management strategies, environmental effects, economic costs, and social outcomes. Environmental footprint analysis and cost quantification were employed for the assessment based on public data. The research results would permit a deeper understanding of the long-term sustainability of each mode while considering the feasibility of implementation across different contexts. It was found that the waste management system in Singapore had a relatively lower environmental impact than Shanghai before Shanghai's new waste segregation and recycling policy in 2019. However, when the effect of fossil fuel substitution is taken into account, the environmental burden in Shanghai can be lowered more substantially than the one in Singapore. Although Shanghai had more economic burden for the waste segregation at source, it tended to implement the circular economy principles (e.g., reduce, reuse, and recycling) better and improve its sense of community significantly. Based on the practical experiences from the two representative megacities, suggestions for better waste management practices were provided for Singapore, Shanghai, and other emerging megacities with similar circumstances. In addition, challenges and opportunities related to household waste segregation and recycling were identified to guide future practices in emerging megacities.

Keywords

Challenges and opportunities; Emerging megacities; Environmental effects; Household waste management; Social outcomes; Waste segregation and recycling

Authors

Zhou, J., Li, L., Wang, Q., Fan, Y.V., Liu, X., Klemeš, J.J., Wang, X., Tong, Y.W., Jiang, P.

Released

1. 5. 2022

Publisher

Elsevier Ltd.

ISBN

0956-053X

Periodical

Waste Management

Number

144

State

United States of America

Pages from

221

Pages to

232

Pages count

12

URL

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956053X22001647

BibTex

@article{BUT177554,
  author="Yee Van {Fan} and Jiří {Klemeš}",
  title="Household waste management in Singapore and Shanghai: Experiences, challenges and opportunities from the perspective of emerging megacities",
  journal="Waste Management",
  year="2022",
  number="144",
  pages="221--232",
  doi="10.1016/j.wasman.2022.03.029",
  issn="0956-053X",
  url="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956053X22001647"
}