Carbon footprint and its cross-province transfer of plastic waste management system in China

The carbon footprint of plastic waste management has drawn intensive concern; however, its cross-space transfer pattern, along with the associated environmental and economic costs remain unexplored. This knowledge gap impedes policymakers from formulating more targeted and localized plastic recycling strategies. In this study, four types of plastic waste recycling measures were investigated, encompassing thirteen industrial-scale cases in China, by applying a life-cycle assessment approach. Subsequently, the national-level carbon footprint resulting from plastic waste recycling and its interprovincial transfer patterns were aggregated. The carbon footprint of plastic waste recycling measures varied between -4675.8 to -558.2 kgCO₂-eq/t, accompanying with the economic investment ranging from 17.1 to 257.4 CNY/tCO₂-eq and non-trivial water pollutants emissions. Plastic waste recycling industry and incinerating facilities contributed 20.83 to 26.84 million tonnes CO₂-eq carbon mitigation in China from 2019 to 2023, compared with landfilling as the baseline scenario, indicating its great potential to a low-carbon transition in the waste management sector. Jiangsu, Anhui, and Guangdong Province in China were the largest net receiver of carbon footprint from plastic waste recycling, i.e., -3040.2, -2100.6, and -1469.4 kt CO₂-eq, respectively. Taking into account the in-province recycling and incinerating of plastic waste, Jiangsu, Guangdong, and Anhui Province achieved the greatest climate benefit, -5024.4, -4326.5, and -3371.5 kt CO₂-eq, respectively. Policy recommendations were put forward based on the technological- and regional-scale findings.