Application of a MSW generation estimation model: A comparison of generation property among metropolitan cities in China

This paper applies an integrated model to estimate the generation of municipal solid waste (MSW) by composition, taking into account the consumption expenditure by category and waste management policies. Five Chinese metropolises with different economic levels are selected for model application and comparison. In each selected city, firstly, a household consumption pattern is estimated using an extension of the linear expenditure system (LES), with lifestyle of residents attributed as explanatory variables; thereafter, MSW generation by composition is quantitatively expressed in terms of expenditure for consumption category and the waste policies by using ordinary least squares (OLS). The research findings clearly indicate that the integrated model is validated in each city with good performance of model testing. Further, the range of convention efficiency from consumption to each type of waste is determined. Moreover, the average unit MSW generation per consumption expenditure is 0.213 kg/RMB. In addition, the waste measures undertaken by the local governments have different influences on MSW generation. Accordingly, the model not only has the ability to predict the generation of each type of waste, but also presents a possibility of application to other Chinese cities without sufficient waste statistics.