Role of informal sector recycling in waste management in developing countries

Many thousands of people in developing country cities depend on recycling materials from waste for their livelihoods. With the focus of the Millennium Development Goals on poverty reduction, and of waste strategies on improving recycling rates, one of the major challenges in solid waste management in developing countries is how best to work with this informal sector to improve their livelihoods, working conditions and efficiency in recycling.The general characteristics of informal recycling are reviewed, highlighting both positive and negative aspects. Despite the health and social problems associated with informal recycling, it provides significant economic benefits that need to be retained. Experience shows that it can be highly counterproductive to establish new formal waste recycling systems without taking into account informal systems that already exist. The preferred option is to integrate the informal sector into waste management planning, building on their practices and experience, while working to improve efficiency and the living and working conditions of those involved. Issues associated with integrating informal recycling into the formal waste management sector are discussed.     

低碳视角下农业集约化、绿色化与资源再生化 的实现机制研究

在实现"碳达峰碳中和"目标的重要历史机遇期,推动实现农业集约化、绿色化和资源再生化,构建资源节约型、绿色低碳型、生态循环型的农业发展模式,对于农业可持续发展具有重要意义。以2000-2018年我国31个省份为研究对象,通过面板向量自回归模型(PVAR),刻画资源消耗、农业产出、农业碳排放之间的动态传导机制。结果表明:(1)东部农业"碳达峰"节点出现较早,东北、西部相对较晚;2018年农业碳排放居前三的省份为湖南、黑龙江、河南,居后三的为北京、天津、上海;(2)资源消耗和农业产出之间呈现"低投入高产出"的农业集约化生产模式,但影响力微弱;农业产出和农业碳排放之间"高产出高排放"的情形长期面临农业绿色化的严峻考验;农业碳排放与资源消耗之间呈现"低排放低投入"的资源再生化现象,影响力短期微弱长期较强;(3)推动实现农业集约化、绿色化、资源再生化的关键在于探索降低农业碳排放的多重路径。因此,应强化农业集约化生产,充分发展资源再生化模式,探索形成农业绿色化格局新路径,以此来加快实现碳减排目标,推动农业可持续发展。     

循环经济理念下废旧电器回收、再生、利用循环机理的探究

废旧电器回收再生利用是开辟城市矿山的资源源泉。本文从技术、经济、社会三个层面研究其物质、价值和行为三个形态的循环机理是其产业链构建和有效逆行的理论基础。价值循环要考虑以自然资源资本和环境保护与恢复的成本来分析其价值保值与增值过程;行为循环要以基于生产者责任延伸制的主体责任体系为纽带,分析其行为活动规律及其相互关系;物质循环要按照循环经济的原则考虑各种物质形态的有效转换与有机联系,以实现资源到资源的物质闭路循环。     

Accounting for the Performance of Environmentally Significant Behavior: The Symbolic Significance of Recycling

The scientific community has pronounced climate change unequivocal and its consequences disastrous. Yet Americans' behavioral response to the global social problem of environmental degradation has been largely confined to the individual act of recycling. This article examines why Americans are not doing more to address climate change and other environmental issues. Taking a cognitive sociological perspective, I describe how Americans think about environmental issues and pro‐environmental behavior. I draw on Swidler's concept of a “cultural tool kit,” to examine the cultural narratives Americans use to account for the small amount of pro‐environmental behavior they perform. The act of recycling functions as a synecdoche for pro‐environmental behavior in general, allowing individuals to over‐claim the significance of a modest amount of pro‐environmental behavior. I argue that Americans' failure to engage with environmental issues at a collective level is rooted in the individualized culture of American environmentalism.     

Selected indicators for evaluation of eco-innovation projects

This paper addresses a particular innovation projects category, that is, eco-innovation, in line with the fact that a lot of research has been recently carried out in this area, due to increasing attention. Eco-innovation projects are related to development and introducing the new products, processes and services that reduce the overall negative impact on the environment, putting the business and innovation together to create sustainable solutions. The aim of our research is developing a model for prioritization of the most frequent eco-innovation projects in the recycling field. It should be one of the key challenges for national economies as it happens to be one of the current priorities and burning issues for the European Commission (Horizon 2020, CIP, COSME, etc.), giving the proposed model framework. The ranking has been established with regard to common national economy benefits defined through identified criteria, by applying the well-known analytic hierarchy process method of multi-criteria decision-making.     

采购拍卖下混合回收渠道的闭环供应链奖惩契约协调研究

在市场需求不确定下,应用采购拍卖和奖惩契约研究零售商和第三方混合回收的闭环供应链协调问题。针对市场中存在m个制造商、1个零售商和1个第三方回收商的情形,分析目录拍卖-双重奖惩契约机制协调供应链的影响,证明当参数满足一定条件时目录拍卖-双重奖惩契约机制能够协调闭环供应链。     

试析发达国家的产业废弃物税收制度

近年来,日本等众多发达国家为了鼓励企业参与资源的循环利用,减少生产活动对环境带来的负面影响,普遍开征了产业废弃物税。本文结合日本的具体经验评析了各种类型的产业废弃物税对产业废弃物排放抑制效果的优劣,以期为构筑符合我国的相关税收制度的选择提供指导。     

An environmental life cycle optimization model for the European pulp and paper industry

Will paper recycling reduce the environmental impact of the European pulp and paper sector? If so, is maximal paper recycling the best policy to optimize the life cycle of the pulp and paper sector? We explore these questions using an approach that combines materials accounting methods and optimization techniques. Environmental impact data are inputs for a linear programming network flow model to find optimal configurations for the sector. These configurations consist of a mix of different pulping technologies, a geographical distribution of pulp and paper production, and a level of recycling consistent with the lowest environmental impacts. We use the model to analyse scenarios with different recycling strategies. Recycling offers a reduction in environmental impact in regions with a high population and a large production of paper and board products. Regions with a large production of graphic products should focus on cleaner virgin pulp production with energy recovery. We conclude that relocation of paper production also offers a reduction in environmental impact. However, the severe effects on the economy make this policy less attractive than a combination of recycling, cleaner pulp production and energy recovery.     

Altruism and Market-Like Behavior: An Analysis of Willingness to Pay for Recycled Paper Products

The contrast between self-interested behavior guided by rational choice and altruistic behavior guided by normative considerations is a central theme in the social sciences. This study suggests that market and market-like behavior, the context where self-interest is expected to dominate, is in fact often motivated by altruism. This argument is tested by examining a willingness to pay measure, a surrogate for the market that is finding substantial use in analyses of public policy. In particular, the ability of the Schwartz model of altruism to explain willingness to pay for recycled products is examined. Findings indicate that even as the Schwartz model has explained many purely altruistic behaviors, it also can explain self-reported willingness to pay. While economists often have noted the importance of rational choice in even the most intimate of human decisions, this study notes the importance of normative altruism in even the most calculated.     

国际循环经济立法比较研究

循环经济是当代世界经济发展的趋势。面对全球性环境问题,各国都不得不接受这种发展模式,促进人与自然的可持续发展。在循环经济方面作出突出成就的国家主要是欧洲的日本等发达国家,他们在资源的循环利用上积累了相当丰富的经验,对于向工业国家转型的中国而言这些经验尤为重要。中国正处于经济高速发展阶段,能够有效吸收将国外成功经验吸收决定着我国能否摆脱环境库兹涅茨曲线的宿命。技术在循环经济中有着很重要的作用,但是没有良好制度这个基础,技术也是徒劳的,因此必须加强循环经济立法工作,尽早出台中国循环境经济法。