Waste Management 29 (2009) 1227–1233

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Waste Management
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/wasman

Country Report

Municipal solid waste management in Pudong New Area, China

Zhu Minghua a,b,*, Fan Xiumin a,b, Alberto Rovetta c,1, He Qichang a,b, Federico Vicentini c,1, Liu Bingkai a,b,
Alessandro Giusti c,1, Liu Yi d
a
Computer Integrated Manufacturing Research Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Room 1208, HaoRan High-tech Building, No. 1954, HuaShan Road, Shanghai,
Shanghai 200030, China
b
Shanghai Key Lab of Advanced Manufacturing Environment, Shanghai 200030, China
c
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milano 20133, Italy
d
Shanghai Pudong Solid Waste Administration Office, No. 155, Miaopu Road, Shanghai 200135, China

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The increase in population, the rapid economic growth and the rise in community living standards accel-
Accepted 22 July 2008 erate municipal solid waste (MSW) generation in developing cities. This problem is especially serious in
Available online 31 October 2008 Pudong New Area, Shanghai, China. The daily amount of MSW generated in Pudong was about 1.11 kg per
person in 2006. According to the current population growth trend, the solid waste quantity generated
will continue to increase with the city’s development. In this paper, we describe a waste generation
and composition analysis and provide a comprehensive review of municipal solid waste management
(MSWM) in Pudong. Some of the important aspects of waste management, such as the current status
of waste collection, transport and disposal in Pudong, will be illustrated. Also, the current situation will
be evaluated, and its problems will be identified.
Crown Copyright Ó 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction reflecting the determination and effort of the Chinese government

in protecting the environment.
With continuous economic development and an increase in liv- Pudong New Area (Pudong) is located in the eastern part of
ing standards, the demand for goods and services is increasing Shanghai and is one of China’s most economically active cities.
quickly, resulting in an increase in per capita generation of solid Massive governmental investment has helped Pudong grow from
waste. Increasing population levels, booming economy, rapid mere pastures to a modern city within 18 years. The waste charac-
urbanization and the rise in community living standards have teristics and the solid waste management system in Pudong is rep-
greatly accelerated the municipal solid waste (MSW) generation resentative of most Chinese cities. In this paper, MSW
rate in developing countries, especially in China. The World Bank characteristics and the current status of MSWM in Pudong will
pointed out that no country had ever experienced as large or as fast be detailed to evaluate the current situation and identify problems.
an increase in solid waste quantity as China (Yuan et al., 2006).
China recently surpassed the United States as the world’s largest
2. Current situation of solid waste management in Pudong
MSW generator. Furthermore, China’s annual solid waste genera-
tion is expected to grow from about 190 million tons in 2004 to
2.1. A brief introduction of Pudong
over 480 million tons by 2030 (The World Bank, 2005). This poses
enormous challenges for environmental protection and sustainable
On April 18, 1990, the Chinese government decided to allow
development. One of the effective solutions to such a problem is to
large-scale development and construction in Pudong. After 18
adopt an efficient municipal solid waste management (MSWM)
years of development and construction, Pudong has undergone
system. All aspects of China’s waste management systems must
amazing changes, becoming a model of an externally oriented,
undergo great changes in order to meet this challenge. The state’s
multifunctional and modern urban district.
eleventh five-year plan (2007–2012) has allocated approximately
Pudong is situated at the middle latitude of China’s coastal areas
140 billion Euros to be invested in environmental protection,
and is located in an estuary where the Yangtze River enters the sea,
as shown in Fig. 1. Pudong lies adjacent to Shanghai’s urban dis-
* Corresponding author. Address: Computer Integrated Manufacturing Research tricts, with a solid and strong economic foundation, backed up by
Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Room 1208, HaoRan High-tech Building, the Yangtze River Delta with rich resources and facing the Pacific
No. 1954, HuaShan Road, Shanghai, Shanghai 200030, China. Tel.: +86 21
62933362; fax: +86 21 62932070.
and East Asian Region. It covers an area of 569.57 km2, and has a
E-mail address: [email protected] (Z. Minghua). pleasant climate year-round with an average annual temperature
1
Via Lamasa 34, Milano, Milano 20156, Italy. of 16.2° and an average annual rainfall of 1183 mm (Pudong Gov-

0956-053X/$ - see front matter Crown Copyright Ó 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2008.07.016
1228 Z. Minghua et al. / Waste Management 29 (2009) 1227–1233

Fig. 1. Map of Pudong in Shanghai, China.

ernment Website, 2008). Pudong is characterized by both urban 2.2. Solid waste management in Pudong
and suburban areas. In 1990, the population of the Pudong was
about 1.4 million, but had increased to 2.8 million by 2005. 2.2.1. Waste generation
In order to perform effective city administration, Pudong is di- As cities grow, land use becomes increasingly complex, and the
vided into six functional areas geographically, as shown in Fig. 2. waste generated increases in volume and variety (Omuta, 1987). In
The functional area (FA) is an economic and administrative division 2006, Pudong witnessed a steady economic growth, realizing a
aimed to eliminate dual urban–rural structure, increase linkage be- GDP close to 23.7 billion Euros, an increase of 13.4 Euros from
tween development zones and townships, and introduce greater the prior year. Accordingly, the quantity of solid waste generated
reforms. Furthermore, FAs represent an institutional innovation in Pudong increased from 2418 tons/day in 2004 to 2854 tons/
for waste management. At present, there are six functional areas day in 2005. MSW is classified into three categories: urban waste,
in Pudong New Area (Table 1), namely: suburban waste and other waste (waste from street sweeping,
businesses and public institutions) (Table 2).
 Lujiazui Functional Area (LFA), In 2006, the amount of MSW generated in Pudong was about
 Jinqiao Functional Area (JFA), 3,108 tons/day, approximately one-fifth of the total amount pro-
 Zhangjiang Functional Area (ZFA), duced in Shanghai. Based on the current population growth trend,
 Waigaoqiao Functional Area (WFA), the solid waste quantity generated in Pudong will continue
 Sanlin World Expo Functional Area (SFA), and increasing with the city’s development according to the projected
 Chunsha Functional Area (CFA). municipal waste generation for China (The World Bank, 2005).
The daily output of MSW from 2004 to 2006 is shown in Fig. 3
For each FA, a dedicated truck company is in charge of waste (PSWAO, 2006).
collection and transportation to the waste disposal facility. The urban area in Pudong includes all of the LFA, and most of
the JFA and SFA. The Puhuan company is responsible for the waste
collection in these areas. The calorific value of urban waste is
approximately 5,080 kJ/kg (PSWAO, 2006), which makes it suitable
for combustion, so most waste is incinerated. However, suburban
Table 1 waste is usually first transported to suburban transfer stations
Fundamental data of functional areas of Pudong, 2005 and then to disposal facilities after compaction.
Indicator Land area Registered population by year- Population density
(km2) end (person) (person km 2) 2.2.2. Waste composition
Compared with other cities in developing countries, MSW in Pu-
LFA 42.77 453,049 10,593
JFA 90.52 368,859 4,075 dong has a high organic content and low calorific value, containing
ZFA 119.31 149,395 1,252 a large percentage of organic waste. Fig. 4 shows the composition
WFA 97.13 157,277 1,619 data for solid wastes tested at the Dezhou waste collection point.
SFA 80.11 556,903 6,952
The main components are food residues, plastics, fruit, paper, tex-
CFA 139.73 162,571 1,164
Total 569.57 1,848,054 3,245
tiles, glass and wood. The waste has a heterogeneous composition
comprising both degradable and non-degradable materials, and is
Data source: (PSWAO (2006)). collected without sorting. The majority of the non-degradable
 Z. Minghua et al. / Waste Management 29 (2009) 1227–1233 1229

Fig. 2. Functional areas in Pudong.

Table 2
Three categories of MSW in Pudong

Indicator Waste source Calorific value Collection units

(2006)
Urban waste LFA, JFAa, SFAa 5.080 kJ/kg Puhuan company
Suburban ZFA, WFA, CFA 4.710 kJ/kg Qingdaoyuan
waste company
Other waste Street sweeping, – Assigned by each
businesses, street
and public institutions

waste fraction consists of potentially recyclable materials, and the

degradable fraction could be composted. Fig. 4. Composition of MSW tested in Dezhou waste collection point.

2.2.3. Waste collection, transportation and treatment

The collection, transport and disposal of MSW are all important
aspects of waste management for public health, aesthetic, and
environmental reasons. China’s solid waste infrastructure is strug-
gling to cope with unprecedented levels of waste generation, and
Pudong is a typical example. In 2006, waste treatment facilities
(incineration, composting, and landfilling) were only capable of
handling 2500 tons per day; the daily handling operating capacity
of each plant was 1000, 1000, and 1000–1500 tons, respectively.
Hazardous waste is disposed of separately. The current MSW treat-
ment capacity is inadequate for the quantity of waste generated.
Being aware of these issues, the state government has tightened
environmental regulations, increased public investment, intro-
duced ‘‘marketization” reforms, and encouraged private sector par-
ticipation. It is expected that operational, managerial, financial and
legislative reform will improve the investment climate sufficiently
enough to attract funding, technology, and managerial expertise
from the private sector.
The Pudong Solid Waste Administration Office (PSWAO), a
branch of the Environment Protection Bureau (EPB) of Pudong, is
Fig. 3. Pudong daily output of MSW from 2004–2006. in charge of MSWM and has the overall control of the waste flow.
1230 Z. Minghua et al. / Waste Management 29 (2009) 1227–1233

Fig. 5. MSW infrastructure setup of Pudong.

Fig. 7. Waste collection by automated compactor truck.

Containers, which vary depending on location (residential areas,

companies, which promise that collection facilities are be rehabil-
for example, have 240-L plastic containers), were available at every
itated to realize airtight and prompt transportation; in addition,
collection point, along the street and public places according to the
they are to make sure all the wastes are cleaned up every day.
sanitation standards. Fig. 5 shows the waste infrastructure setup of
The private companies are responsible for collecting waste from
Pudong. The solid waste disposal process can be classified into
every fixed waste collection point and transporting the waste to
three stages: storage, collection and transportation, and final
transfer stations and disposal sites. Although the collection and
disposal.
transportation process is a major cost in the waste management
process due to the large amount of waste, the collection points
2.2.3.1. Storage. A key aspect of effective waste management is
are visited once per day in the early morning in order to decrease
proper waste storage on the premises where the waste is gener-
potential impacts on the environment (e.g. odor and flies). Efficient
ated (Oluwande, 1984). In residential areas, the fixed collection
collection depends on proper selection of vehicles. There are two
point is set for waste storage. It consists of setting containers in
kinds of trucks used for waste collection in Pudong. One is an auto-
designated locations for scheduled pickups. As shown in Fig. 6,
mated compactor truck, as shown in Fig. 7, which is commonly
the collection point is a room with a window that is opened to al-
used and is efficient. This kind of truck can accommodate two
low waste to be deposited. Generally, there are several waste col-
240 L containers at the same time, and it has a capacity of 3.5 tons.
lection points in a residential area, each with several 240 L plastic
Each truck is assigned too many fixed collection points; the vehicle
containers inside the room; the number of the containers is
starts at the parking lot of its company in the morning and then
decided by PSWAO.
visits the collection points one by one. When the truck is full, it
travels either to the transfer station (TS, Fig. 8) or a disposal site.
2.2.3.2. Collection and transportation. Collection of solid waste is
After visiting all the required collection points, the truck returns
carried out by using various types of vehicles, with the type of
to its company. Generally, the visiting sequence and route of the
vehicle depending on the type of collection bin and width of the
truck will not change except when the disposal site becomes full
road (Chiplunkar et al., 1981). There are three large private compa-
or if there is some emergency. As shown in Fig. 9, the other type
nies currently involved in collection and transportation. PSWAO
of garbage truck used in Pudong contains a swinging arm for
assigns waste collection tasks and signs contracts with the private
self-loading and has a capacity of 5 tons. It carries only one con-
tainer at a time and travels on major roads. This truck can transport

Fig. 6. Fixed waste collection point. Fig. 8. Transfer station.

 Z. Minghua et al. / Waste Management 29 (2009) 1227–1233 1231

Fig. 9. Swinging arm self-loading truck.

Fig. 11. Crude waste disposal quantity per day from 2004 to 2006.

waste from small compaction stations (SCS, Fig. 10) to transfer sta-
tions. Taking the road conditions, servicing requirements and haul- the high percentage of organic waste in MSW, and the potential
age distances into consideration, a handcart is also used in some market for finished compost (The World Bank, 2005).
areas. Using a handcart, the operator collects the waste along the Since the two alternatives above produce some residues that
containers by hand and unloads it in the SCS, from where the must be disposed of, landfilling is a necessary component of
swinging arm self-loading truck transports the waste to the TS, MSWM, although it causes serious environmental degradation.
and then ultimately to the disposal site. The Liming landfill site in Pudong was built in 1999 and upgraded
in 2004. As of 2006, 240800 tons of crude waste has been disposed
2.2.3.3. Final disposal. Three important waste disposal methods are of in this landfill.
adopted in Pudong: incineration, biochemical treatment, and
landfilling. 2.2.4. MSW substance flows
The Yuqiao incineration facility became operational in 2001. It Only qualitative descriptions of Pudong’s waste management
has three MSW incinerators and two 8500 kW power units, and system are mentioned above. Quantitative data will be introduced
is China’s first modern MSW incineration plant capable of process- in the following section. As shown in Fig. 12, in the urban TS and at
ing over 1000 tons/day of waste. In 2006, the Yuqiao incineration all the disposal sites, weighbridges are installed at the entrance
facility processed a total amount of 437000 tons of crude waste, and can be operated in two directions, weighing the waste effi-
accounting for 40% of the city’s total solid waste. As illustrated in ciently and automatically while uploading data to PSWAO. The
Fig. 11, incineration has a significant impact on the waste disposal waste flow of 2006 is shown in Fig. 13. It can be seen that 35.2%
in Pudong. of the urban waste is directly incinerated, while the rest is first sep-
The Meisheng biochemical treatment plant, which opened in arated in the transfer station. Hazardous waste is disposed of sep-
2003, is responsible for the treatment of organic waste and food arately, and the majority is directly treated by composting,
residues. Composting generally plays an important role in China. incineration or landfilling. As for suburban waste, data cannot be
This may be driven by the value of carbon emission reductions, obtained until the waste reaches the final disposal site because
suburban transfer stations do not have weighbridges. The waste

Fig. 10. Small compression station. Fig. 12. Weighbridges of the incineration plant.
1232 Z. Minghua et al. / Waste Management 29 (2009) 1227–1233

Fig. 13. Waste flow in Pudong, 2006.

from businesses is not included in this flow. Secondary waste in- 3. Recommendations
cludes wastewater, gaseous waste and solid waste emitted from
MSW treatment (Hong et al., 2006). In the incineration facility, A number of recommendations are made here, aimed at
39 tons of fly ash, 291 tons of bottom slag and 140 tons of leachate improving solid waste management in Pudong.
are produced per day. Some of the secondary waste materials can In consideration of the current MSWM status, source separation
be recycled as raw materials, while most are landfilled or dis- should be a key priority. Waste needs to be sorted at the source as
charged after incineration. much as possible to reduce the amount of waste requiring disposal.
Additionally, the government should encourage markets for recy-
2.3. GIS-based information management system cled materials, such as waste trade platforms. The recycling indus-
try needs to be improved through increased professionalization,
There are about 200 trucks equipped with the GPS sets. All coor- improved product standards, market development and better
dinate data are uploaded and then integrated into the city’s web- operating standards. At present, the EPB of Shanghai municipal is
based geographic information system (GIS) in order to monitor trying to encourage the use of a new classification pattern. Four
the trucks in an efficient way. Also, dynamic scheduling for the containers, each of a different color, appeared in some residential
truck can be accomplished to minimize cost if necessary. This al- areas of Shanghai for source separation to minimize waste and
lows trucks to decrease their operating time, thus reducing their maximizing recycling. However, the collection vehicles and the
fuel consumption. A general outline of the current information collection methods have not yet been able to accommodate this
management system of PSWAO is given in Fig. 14. The truck’s route new innovation. The collection trucks used by private companies
and the real-time status can be displayed on the web. should be upgraded to support the new container system, and col-

Fig. 14. GIS-based information management system.

 Z. Minghua et al. / Waste Management 29 (2009) 1227–1233 1233

lection methods should also be adapted accordingly. In addition, a comprehensive waste management system has been established
education about waste sorting and recycling is necessary to pro- in Pudong, it fails to achieve the greatest degree of recycling and
mote this policy. reuse of resources. The existing system suffers from unfavorable
Source separation and collection of MSW is not well imple- legislative and technical and operational constraints. Source sepa-
mented in Pudong or the rest of China. Consistent national policies ration, effective supervision and involvement of the private sector
on MSW legislation are needed. Policies should be adopted to have been recommended. An integrated MSWM system adapted to
encourage cross-jurisdiction and inter-agency coordination and Pudong’s situation is identified for further development.
to facilitate implementation of economic instruments for improv-
ing waste management. The supervision of private enterprises Acknowledgments
should be strengthened by regulations. An integrated sustainable
waste management system from generation to final disposal is This work was supported by the Sino-Italian Cooperation Pro-
needed. The system should enhance the planning and decision- gram (Cleanwings: Intelligent supervision for Big Area waste dis-
making process and take a holistic view of the entire system: waste posal system, project number: C/II/S/07/025). FECO/SEPA and the
collection, transfer, resource recycling and disposal. The state Sino-Italian cooperation program Shanghai office are gratefully
council of the Chinese government issued a ban on free plastics acknowledged. We would also like to express our gratitude to
bags in all supermarkets, department stores and other stores on the Pudong environmental protection bureau, Pudong solid waste
Jan 1, 2008. Although the Government has been aware of the administration office for providing necessary detailed data and
ban, it must also continue to strengthen and improve its regula- help in the investigation required for this work. The authors also
tions and policies. thank the editors and anonymous reviewers for their useful com-
Finally, when discussing solid waste management, we must ments and suggestions to improve the paper.
realize that waste management is a complex and long-term pro-
cess. Adequate understanding the characteristics of MSW and its References
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