Sustainable Municipal Solid Waste Disposal in the Belt and Road Initiative: A Preliminary Proposal for Chengdu City

Abstract

The Chinese green Belt and Road initiative is promoted. This study takes Chengdu as a key hub under the Belt and Road initiative. The municipal solid waste disposal is the point to control pollution and move toward sustainability. Hence, sustainable municipal solid waste disposal needs to be studied. The prior studies are absent in the planning scenarios analysis. This study proposes a case study to propose three planning scenarios for waste disposal to enhance its sustainability. Scenario 1 represents the current waste disposal mode in Chengdu; Scenario 2 considers all the wastes being incinerated; and Scenario 3 focuses on the incorporation of three disposal methods, i.e., anaerobic digestion, incineration, and landfilling. These three scenarios are assessed based on their greenhouse gas emissions, costs, and public acceptance, to determine the optimality for future managerial practice. Results indicated that Scenario 3 has the highest overall efficiency, yet is challenging in terms of economic feasibility. The limitations of the study are also discussed.