Assessment of solid waste generation and treatment in the Australian economic system: A Closed Waste Supply-Use model

He He; Christian John Reynolds; John Boland

doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2018.05.056

Assessment of solid waste generation and treatment in the Australian economic system: A Closed Waste Supply-Use model

Waste Manag. 2018 Aug:78:346-355. doi: 10.1016/j.wasman.2018.05.056. Epub 2018 Jun 23.

Authors

He He¹, Christian John Reynolds², John Boland³

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, Mawson Lakes Campus, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Boulevard, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia. Electronic address: he.he@mymail.unisa.edu.au.
² Department of Geography, Faculty of Social Sciences, The University of Sheffield, United Kingdom. Electronic address: c.reynolds@sheffield.ac.uk.
³ Centre for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, Mawson Lakes Campus, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Boulevard, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia.

PMID: 32559921
DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2018.05.056

Abstract

The Household sector (HS) is not only the major cause of waste generation in industrial sectors, but also the same function as an industrial sector to generate waste. Current researches mainly focus on waste generation caused by the demand of the HS based on the environmentally-extend input-output (EEIO) models while the effect of the HS as an industrial sector on waste flow has not been analysed. In addition, there is uncertainty around the economic cost of waste management discussed in EEIO models due to the lack of the calculation of the cost of labor. We adjust waste supply-use table to analyse effects of the HS as an industrial sector on waste flow, resulting in closed waste supply-use table (CWSUT). The novelty of the method lies in a shift in the effect of the HS, from an exogenous factor to an endogenous factor. Results derived from Australian CWSUT in 2009-10 illustrate waste generation effects of intermediate sectors and the mixed waste flows of the HS. The definition of "intermediate sector" is that the sector consumes intermediate inputs from producing sectors and generates intermediate outputs to Final demand. They show that: (1) the Construction sector has the largest waste generation effects, in which the amount of masonry waste has accounted for the most direct and total effects of waste generation; (2) investigations regarding the HS in CWSUT can calculate the amount of direct and total waste generation, the monetary flow, and effects of the Income for the Household sector. Base on the above results, the paper puts forwards the application of the CWSUT on other types of environmental issues and waste policies.

Keywords: Australian economy; Closedwaste supply-use table; The Household sector; Waste management.