Study on the carbon emission reduction potential of rural domestic waste based on life cycle approach in Hubei Province, China.

Abstract

With the rise of the rural economy, rural domestic waste (RDW) has gradually shown the characteristics of diversification and industrialization and has also become a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. However, existing waste studies have mainly focused on urban areas, so the characteristics, drivers, and carbon reduction potential of RDW are still poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, this study surveyed 480 rural residents using a questionnaire method in Hubei Province. Our results show that a total of 4824.03 kt of RDW (0.57 kg per capita daily output) will be generated in Hubei Province in 2020, with food waste being the most important component (57.15%), followed by ash (14.82%), plastic waste (9.73%), and paper waste (9.26%). Residents' economic status and environmental awareness are important driving factors for the generation of domestic waste. Therefore, garbage sorting, recycling and appropriate public opinion guidance should be an important means to reduce garbage generation in rural areas in the future. In carbon accounting, RDW's life cycle carbon emission is 3506.50 kt CO₂e, among the landfill stage carbon emission is 3235.72 kt CO₂e, which is the main source of the life cycle carbon emission. The results of the scenario analysis show that the RDW carbon emissions in Hubei Province will be reduced by 22.86% ~ 90.15% in 2030 if the proportion of waste recycling, composting, and waste incineration technology are considered. Therefore, waste source reduction, waste recycling, and waste disposal optimization should be the main strategies for future RDW carbon reduction.