Transforming recycling policy and food waste diversion in Shanghai, China
University of Brighton researchers have developed new insights into the key determinants of residential recycling behaviour. Working with a Chinese environmental NGO and Chinese local government, this was used to develop policy recommendations that were incorporated into municipality-wide regulations on household waste in Shanghai.
Issue
Failure to enable residents to sort their waste for diversion into recycling, composting or reuse causes significant environmental challenges worldwide. These challenges are particularly pronounced for food waste, which makes up 30-40% of household waste in the Global North and 60-70% in China. Food waste is usually disposed of via landfill or incineration, leading to greenhouse gas emissions.
Approach
Geographers at the University of Brighton worked with Ifine, a specialist Chinese NGO whose focus is on mobilising residents to recycle more effectively. Projects were developed to identify which behavioural policy interventions could be targeted where to maximise food waste recycling in the city.
The team then worked with local authorities to profile tens of communities in two districts of Shanghai. The existing government emphasis on incentivising residents to separate food waste was shown to be ineffective. A demonstration was carried out with 18 communities whereby staff were trained to apply the recommendations of the research. Immediate increases in recycling performance were seen.
Impact
Application of the new insights of residential recycling behaviour led to three impacts at metropolis level: (i) policy change, resulting in an increase in food waste recycling to 9,796 tonnes/day, sustained over the year following policy introduction; (ii) associated reductions in greenhouse gas emissions of at least 2,650,000 tonnes CO2-equivalent per year; and (iii) improvements in the status of Ifine and other Chinese NGOs, which are now formally accepted as local authority partners and fully integrated into policy processes.
The July 2019 policy-driven shift in recycling behaviour resulted in the sustained diversion of ~9,500 tonnes/day (peaking at 9,796 tonnes/day) of residential food waste of such low contamination (<5%) that it is now used routinely for biogas production. This equates to 2,120,000 tonnes/year additional food waste recycled, which is more than the entire UK 10-year target for food waste reduction. 78% of all domestic food waste in Shanghai Municipality is now captured and diverted, the highest urban rate for food waste globally.
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How to cite
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) (2023) Transforming recycling policy and food waste diversion in Shanghai, China. Available at https://rgs.org/recyclingpolicyShanghai Last accessed on: <date>