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Rural solid waste (RSW) exhibits distinct characteristics compared to municipal solid waste (MSW), such as dispersed distribution, long governance chains, and low recycling value, making it unsuitable to apply the same management measures as MSW. Government-led RSW management results in excessive administrative costs, and the inherent characteristics of RSW reduce market enthusiasm for its management. To address these issues, this paper integrates the “ multi-subject governance “ model with RSW management and establishes a systematic evaluation index system for RSW governance. Utilizing the Best-Worst Method (BWM), key factors were identified. Utilizing the VIKOR method, representative provinces in China were used as case studies to validate the scientific nature of the evaluation indices. The research findings indicate that the multi-subject governance model is an effective approach for RSW management. Key factors influencing RSW management effectiveness include various governmental measures, waste sorting, and a long-term multi-subject governance mechanism. Case analysis reveals a strong correlation between the level of economic development and the effectiveness of RSW management. However, constructing a government-led, multi-subject collaborative urban-rural interconnected RSW management model can effectively address RSW management issues in economically underdeveloped areas. This research provides innovative solutions for RSW management, contributing to high-quality and sustainable development in rural areas.

Rural solid waste management is an important method to improve rural living environments. Farmers’ participation in rural solid waste management plays an essential role in sustainable waste management. Based on the micro-survey data of 592 farmers in Shaanxi province, a multinomial logit model was applied to explore farmers’ preferences for participating in rural solid waste management. The empirical results show that both institutional and interpersonal trust have significant positive effects on farmers’ payment participation, and labor and payment participation. Among environmental awareness, farmers with pro-environmental behavior prefer labor participation, and labor and payment participation; the more environmental knowledge farmers have, the stronger their preferences for payment participation, labor and payment participation, and labor participation; farmers concerned about environmental problems are more inclined to adopt labor and payment participation or payment participation. For socio-demographic characteristics, gender has no significant influence, while agricultural net income and education can significantly increase farmers’ willingness to participate; farmers who have migrant work experience prefer to participate in payment; there are obvious intergenerational differences in the influence of social trust and environmental awareness on farmers’ participation preference. Therefore, providing diversified participation modes, creating a good social trust environment, and enhancing farmers’ awareness of environmental care are important in promoting rural solid waste management.

Management of solid waste from rural hospitals is amongst problems affecting Zimbabwe due to diseases, population, and hospital increase. Solid waste from rural hospitals is receiving little attention translating to environmental health problems. Therefore, 101 secondary sources were used to write a paper aiming to proffer a hierarchical model to achieve sustainable solid waste management at rural hospitals. Rural hospitals’ solid waste encompasses electronic waste, sharps, pharmaceutical, pathological, radioactive, chemical, infectious, and general waste. General solid waste from rural hospitals is between 77.35 and 79% whilst hazardous waste is between 21 and 22.65%. Solid waste increase add burden to nearly incapacitated rural hospitals. Rural hospital solid waste management processes include storage, transportation, treatment methods like autoclaving and chlorination, waste reduction alternatives, and disposal. Disposal strategies involve open pits, open burning, dumping, and incineration. Rural hospital solid waste management is guided by legislation, policies, guidelines, and conventions. Effectiveness of legal framework is limited by economic and socio-political problems. Rural hospital solid waste management remain inappropriate causing environmental health risks. Developed hierarchical model can narrow the route to attain sustainable management of rural hospitals’ solid waste. Proposed hierarchical model consists of five-layered strategies and acted as a guide for identifying and ranking approaches to manage rural hospitals’ solid waste. Additionally, Zimbabwean government, Environmental Management Agency and Ministry of Health is recommended to collaborate to provide sufficient resources to rural hospitals whilst enforcing legal framework. Integration of all hierarchical model’s elements is essential whereas all-stakeholder involvement and solid waste minimisation approaches are significant at rural hospitals.

This paper seeks to describe the overall state of Rural Solid Waste Management (RSWM) in China in three main areas: waste collection services, waste transportation services and waste disposal services. Given China’s urbanization, industrialization, and the subsequent improvement of household living standards, the amount of solid waste generated in rural China has increased rapidly. Based on primary data collected in 2016 from 100 villages across five provinces in China, we find that the proportion of villages with waste collection, waste transportation, and waste disposal services in 2015 is 80%, 55% and 22%, respectively. The differences in shares of villages with these services across provinces are statistically significant. Using descriptive and econometric analyses, the authors show that richer villages are more likely to provide rural solid waste (RSW) collection and transportation services. Villages with new (newly elected or appointed) village leaders are more likely to supply RSW disposal services. While the majority of villages report that they offer waste collection services (installing waste collection facilities and employing waste collection workers), the vast majority of villages do not transport their waste to treatment plants. Even fewer villages report using centralized disposal methods to dispose of waste, as required by law or regulation. This study represents the first effort to describe the state and determinants of waste management services in rural China in the wake of increased investment in and new policies regarding RSWM released in 2015. Additionally, we provide evidence-based suggestions that might be useful for policy makers interested in improving RSWM in China. These suggestions include increasing investments in waste collection facilities and worker services; encouraging local residents to classify and recycle waste; designing optimal waste transportation networks and routes; and improving on-site waste disposal technology.

Encouraging farmers to adopt pro-environmental practices for the management of rural solid waste is a sustainable solution that can prevent significant harm to rural residents. However, there is limited research focused on the pro-environmental behaviour of rural residents in relation to rural solid waste, and the determinants influencing it. To address this gap, a questionnaire survey was conducted in Guizhou Province, China, and 240 valid responses were collected. A regression equation for the determinants influencing pro-environmental behaviour was developed using IBM SPSS Statistics 26 software, and the model was cross-validated using partial least squares structural equation modelling analysis to ensure the reliability of the results. The data analysis shows that environmental commitment, subjective norms, and attitude are fundamental predictors of pro-environmental behaviour. Additionally, environmental knowledge and perceived ecological benefits are significant determinants of farmers’ environmental commitment, subjective norms, and attitude. This study presents practical and theoretical implications for farmers and local authorities, along with recommendations for improving the current situation of rural solid waste management and enhancing the pro-environmental behaviour of farming households.

Open dumping adversely affects the environment and remains the most widely used method for waste disposal in many developing rural areas in China. Information regarding the impact of rural solid waste (RSW) on the environment remains limited. The objectives of this study are to investigate the characteristics of RSW and the impact of different precipitation rates, and to evaluate the contamination potential of RSW using a leachate pollution index (LPI). The study showed that leachate concentration was significantly influenced by precipitation rates at the initial precipitation stages. Precipitation rates of 42.00 mm/day appeared to have the largest dilution effects. In contrast, the concentrations of leachate at rainfall rates of 24.00 mm/day and soaking were steady, and no similar trends were observed. The highest amounts of pollutants in leachate were the result of soaking. In the first week of our experiment, the LPI value for each rural area waste sample rapidly increased with rising precipitation rates from soaking to 42.00 mm/day. However, no significant change in LPI was observed thereafter (after 5 weeks) even with increasing precipitation rates. The values of chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, and NH 3 -N in the leachate after 10 weeks were 4.00, 7.34, 1.87, and 2.21 times higher, respectively, than those of the prescribed leachate quality standards in China. The results of our study suggest the following course of action for the three dump sites investigated: in Banqiao, given the size of the population and the size of the waste amount, landfill might be a suitable way for disposing of RSW. In Machen, building a standardized waste collection site would be an economical solution for reducing potential pollution risks. In Jiuduhe, increasing the transportation rate of solid waste might be an effective solution. The results of this study can help to improve the understanding of leachate pollution in Chinese rural areas.

Small-scale Solid Waste Thermal Treatment (SSWTT) is prevalent in remote Chinese locations. However, the ecological threats associated with heavy metals in resultant bottom ash remain undefined. This research study scrutinized such ash from eight differing sites, assessing heavy metal content, chemical form, and leaching toxicity. Most bottom ash samples met soil contamination standards for development land (GB36600-2018). However, levels of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in some samples exceeded agricultural land standards GB15618-2018) by 1591%, 64,478%, 1880%, 3886%, 963%, 1110%, and 2011% respectively. Additionally, the As and Cd contents surpassed the construction land control limit value by 383% and 13% respectively. The mean values of the combined oxidizable and residual fraction (F3 + F4) for each heavy metal in all samples exceeded 65%, with Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb reaching over 95%. All sample leaching concentrations, obtained via the HJ/T 299 procedure, were less than limits set by the identification standards for hazardous wastes (GB5085.3–2007). However, only the leaching concentrations of three samples via the leaching procedure HJ/T 300 met the \"Solid Waste Landfill Pollution Control Standard\" (GB 16889–2008). The results indicate that the location and type of SSWTT equipment play a crucial role in determining an appropriate solution for bottom ash management.

Effective rural solid waste management (RSWM) is crucial for sustainable rural development, particularly in developing countries, which face dual challenges from economic growth and environmental protection. To build a more sustainable business model for RSWM, this study employs a value proposition analysis approach to systematically analyze the multi-level requirements of various stakeholders involved in the current models of RSWM. It then proposes a novel optimizing approach for RSWM models from the perspective of business model innovation (BMI) by integrating the value proposition (VP) theory with the algorithm of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to fill the research gap. In this study, an AHP-based evaluating algorithm is firstly proposed based on the viewpoints of multiple stakeholders’ value propositions. Using this method, four typical pilot RSWM models across China are assessed and ranked, followed by a comprehensive analysis of the results and the incorporation of hierarchical criteria from multiple value dimensions. Building on the analysis of the results, optimization strategies for a novel RSWM model are proposed by constructing a conceptual framework of the business model. In addition, the analysis also indicates that both phases of sorting and collection and transportation are the main factors for fulfilling the overall satisfaction of the RSWM models. Lastly, this paper concludes by summarizing the relevant theoretical and managerial implementations of the proposed approach, providing a foundation for the scientific development of appropriate RSWM models by providing a new idea for BMI especially for environmental management projects that include multiple stakeholders.

Rapid urbanization and industrialization in China, combined with a rural-urban dual structure, have resulted in significant challenges for rural solid waste management (RSWM). Through the issuance of regulations and guidelines, and the allocation of substantial funds, the Chinese government has achieved remarkable success in implementing a top-down, linear, and authoritarian waste system, with the national village-level coverage rate of the rural waste management system growing from zero to over 90% in less than 20 years. This paper provides insights into the factors that influence villagers’ responses (attitudes and behaviors) to authoritarian environmental policy measures. Using primary data from Meizhou County in Guangdong Province (the poorest county in China’s richest province), the study finds that villagers’ attitudes are significantly affected by their satisfaction with the government’s RSWM and their environmental concern, while villagers’ behaviors are significantly influenced by their approval level of the local environment, the availability of solid waste collection (SWC) facilities, and their environmental concern. Thus, villagers’ SWC behaviors are mainly influenced by practical convenience and internal motivation. In general, government-relevant factors do not directly impact villagers’ SWC behaviors but significantly moderate villagers’ behaviors. Surprisingly, the variable of villagers’ education level is a significantly negative factor in affecting both RSWM attitudes and behaviors, implying that future RSWM policy measures should take consider democracy more and value villagers’ participation.

Currently, villages “besieged with garbage” have become a serious problem in rural areas of China. Separation of rural residential solid waste (RRSW) is one of the main strategies for waste reduction. Although previous studies have analyzed the social and psychological motivations of residents’ separation intention for municipal solid waste (MSW), little attention has been paid to the situation in rural areas. This paper investigates key factors influencing rural residents’ separation intention, as well as analyzing the moderating effects of perceived policy effectiveness on the relationship between the determinants and the intention, using survey data of 538 rural residents in the province of Sichuan in China. The results show that all the proposed key factors influence the separation intention significantly. Furthermore, the policies were divided into two types and the moderating effects were tested for each type. The results show that the perceived effectiveness of both the inducement policy and the capacity building policy moderated the relationship between attitude and separation intention positively, while the perceived effectiveness of the inducement policy moderated the relationship between subjective norms and intention negatively. The findings provide insightful information for policymakers to design effective RRSW separation policies.