Study on the Present Situation and Strategies of Rural Waste Classification Treatment in Northeast China

Ting LIU, Mengmeng ZHANG, Xia PENG, Qiuxiang HAN, Shengzhong DONG

1. Experimental Teaching Center, Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang 110034, China; 2. Yingkou Agricultural and Rural Comprehensive Development Service Center, Yingkou 115004, China

Abstract The classification treatment of rural domestic waste is not only an important measure to realize the standardized development in rural areas, but also the action support to the concept of "ecological and suitable residence" put forward by the 19th CPC National Congress. This paper summarizes the traditional treatment methods of rural domestic waste in Northeast China, the present situation of rural waste classification treatment in Northeast China and the advantages of waste classification in rural areas of Northeast China. The specific measures to improve the current situation of rural waste classification treatment in Northeast China are put forward in terms of capital policy, classification methods and management means, in order to provide theoretical reference for the treatment of rural domestic waste in Northeast China.

Key words Agricultural ecology, Northeast rural areas, Domestic waste, Classification treatment

1 Introduction

With the development of China’s economy and the continuous improvement of people’s living standards, China’s waste production is also increasing year by year. In China’s rural areas, with the continuous enhancement of the material consumption capacity of rural residents, it has brought a large amount of domestic waste, and the prevention and control of waste pollution has also become a problem and challenge faced by rural governments at all levels. According to the estimation of the Ministry of Housing and Construction, the per capita daily output of rural domestic waste in 2019 was about 0.96 kg, with an annual output of 216 million tons. From 2013 to 2019, rural domestic waste grew at an average annual rate of 9.48%, of which at least 90 million tons were untreated[1]. Due to economic development, natural environment, population quality and other reasons, the northeast rural areas have their own characteristics and problems in waste classification treatment. This paper makes an investigation and research on the current situation of rural waste treatment in Northeast China, and puts forward targeted treatment measures and methods, in order to provide a reference for the treatment and disposal of rural domestic waste in Northeast China.

2 The traditional treatment methods of rural waste in China and its progress at the present stage

In the evolution of agricultural civilization, China’s rural society has gradually constructed a material circular economy system based on "agricultural production-residents’ life-livestock and poultry breeding-waste returning to the field". The mixture of rural kitchen waste and feed not only can be used to feed livestock and poultry, but also can be composted with human and animal feces and all kinds of plant ash, to be applied to the field as fertilizer. There are many kinds of recycling ways, for example, cattle and sheep dung can be used to make fire in the north and sheep dung can be used to feed grass carp and in the south. The following figure briefly shows the traditional treatment mode of rural waste.

Fig.1 Rural waste recycling system in China

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, China has made great efforts to promote the construction of ecological civilization, the rural living environment has been greatly improved, the traditional waste disposal methods have been difficult to meet the requirements of the development of modern society. Now rural areas need a set of waste classification and disposal methods that are more practical and much easier to operate. There is a great difference between rural domestic waste and urban domestic waste. The perishable components, organic components, calorific value per unit are at a relatively low level, and have a certain degree of dispersion. The publicity and education on the classification treatment of domestic waste in rural areas is not enough, and most rural residents dispose of domestic waste at will. And at present, China’s rural areas have not fundamentally established a rural domestic waste collection and disposal management system in line with the national conditions[2].

3 The present situation and problems of rural waste classification treatment in Northeast China

The output of rural domestic waste in Northeast China is large and its composition is complex, and with the development of rural areas, the output of waste is increasing and its composition is becoming more and more diversified. At the same time, due to the wide distribution of villages and long distance between villages, the sources of domestic waste are scattered, and it is difficult to collect and transport. Therefore, at present, the waste management in most rural areas of Northeast China only stays at the end of the management, and the front-end collection and classification work is far from being in place. Now the main problems in the classification of rural waste in Northeast China are as follows:

3.1 Lack of resident participationThe source of waste classification is also the focus, that is, the initial waste classification, which requires everyone’s participation and cooperation. Although in rural areas, the publicity work of waste classification has been started for some time, due to the uneven quality of villagers, they lack understanding of the importance of waste classification, and they have a long-term habit of throwing away household rubbish at will, so it will take time to correct.

3.2 Inadequate enforcement and supervisionThe bins needed for waste classification have been installed in many areas, and the benefits and requirements of waste classification have been publicized to the villagers. However, due to various reasons, the later supervision work did not keep up, and the supervision was not strong enough, resulting in a dead end of waste classification work in many areas, with little success. In some rural areas, under the condition that the basic classification collection facilities are sound, the front-end classification treatment still can not be done.

3.3 Difficulty in treatment due to the unique climatic characteristics of Northeast ChinaDue to the characteristics of cold and dry climate in Northeast China, the current waste disposal technology is not suitable for direct large-scale application. The climatic characteristics of Northeast China make it difficult to deal with waste in the later stage. As domestic waste is easy to accumulate and freeze into a whole at low temperature, it is not easy to separate and classify, which has become a difficult problem in the middle stage of waste treatment in Northeast China for the time being. Therefore, the early classification is particularly important, even if the classified waste is frozen into a whole, it can also be guaranteed to be Class I waste, which is convenient for unified treatment[3].

3.4 The influence of season on the components of domestic waste in North ChinaIn the northern region, the components of domestic waste will be affected by the season, for example, there are a lot of coal ashes in domestic waste in winter, which are difficult to rot, difficult to separate, with low recovery rate. After classification treatment, it is convenient for the later work to be carried out.

4 The advantages of waste classification in the rural areas of Northeast China

4.1 Recycling habits and spatial advantages of classification sitesMany farmers have become accustomed to sorting and storing marketable rubbish. Compared with urban residents, rural independent courtyards provide a convenient space for the storage of recyclable waste, so it provides a place for waste classification and recycling.

4.2 Time advantage for mass participationDue to the climate, there is leisure time in winter in Northeast China, which makes it convenient for villagers to dispose of recyclable wastes. Compared with urban residents, this is also a convenient time advantage for participation in waste recycling.

4.3 Advantages of waste recyclingFor example, returning the mechanically crushed straw to the fields can effectively increase the fertility of the soil.

4.4 Organizational advantagesDifferent from the northeast cities, in the northeast rural areas, the relationship between village and town residents is relatively close, village cadres and staff can carry out effective persuasion to facilitate the implementation of simple garbage classification.

5 Strategies to improve the current situation of rural waste classification treatment in Northeast China

5.1 Necessary capital investment is the material basis of rural waste treatmentThe state should give some policy support to rural waste management, and local governments should also increase investment in funds, technology, personnel and so on. We can explore the establishment of a diversified financing mechanism, adopt the model of "government leading, social participation", actively introduce social capital to participate in rural sanitation and cleaning, waste removal, green conservation, supervision and management and other links[4].

5.2 Improving the standard of waste classificationAccording to the guiding ideology of the 19th CPC National Congress, the classification treatment of rural domestic waste is the important work to make full use of rural resources and promote the rapid development of rural related industries. Therefore, in accordance with the actual situation in rural areas, a unified classification standard is particularly important. The classification standard of rural domestic waste should be fully combined with the concept of circular economy and sustainable development to classify domestic waste from the source.

5.3 Simplifying the difficulty of operation and increasing the operability of rural waste classification according to the actual situation of farmersIn the initial stage of rural waste classification, complex classification methods are difficult to be popularized among villagers. Exploring simple and effective rural waste classification methods is the key to sorting garbage from the source. Farmers can first carry out preliminary sorting according to the two categories of "perishable" and "non-perishable". The cleaners will screen the "non-perishable" parts according to "easy to sell" and "difficult to sell". This classification method is easy to identify and popularize, reduces the difficulty of waste classification, increases the operability of villagers’ active participation in waste classification, and can solve the problem of rural waste reduction from the source of waste.

Fig.2 Simple waste sorting mode in rural areas

5.4 Arousing the enthusiasm of farmers and giving full play to the organizational advantages of each villageIn the process of waste collection, we should give full play to the village autonomy mechanism in rural areas and let farmers participate in waste collection activities. In the process of waste classification, the villagers can supervise and remind each other to ensure the correct classification of waste. The method of "replacing the treatment fees with labor" should be adopted in waste collection link of each classification and collection point. The villagers covered by the collection point transport the garbage to the designated garbage concentration point by themselves, and reduce the garbage disposal fee by labor[5].

5.5 Strengthening publicity and management, improving the level of management and increasing the intensity of managementThe northeast rural areas should strengthen the publicity of waste classification, collection and treatment in the village, popularize the waste classification knowledge to villagers, and gradually improve the villagers’ awareness of environmental protection. It is necessary to strengthen the supervision mechanism and management and introduce a more reasonable and suitable waste management system in northeast rural areas as soon as possible.