A Factorial Ecological-Extended Physical Input-Output Model for Identifying Optimal Urban Solid Waste Path in Fujian Province, China

Effective management of an urban solid waste system (USWS) is crucial for balancing the tradeoff between economic development and environment protection. A factorial ecological-extended physical input-output model (FE-PIOM) was developed for identifying an optimal urban solid waste path in an USWS. The FE-PIOM integrates physical input-output model (PIOM), ecological network analysis (ENA), and fractional factorial analysis (FFA) into a general framework. The FE-PIOM can analyze waste production flows and ecological relationships among sectors, quantify key factor interactions on USWS performance, and finally provide a sound waste production control path. The FE-PIOM is applied to managing the USWS of Fujian Province in China. The major findings are: (i) waste is mainly generated from primary manufacturing (PM) and advanced manufacturing (AM), accounting for 30% and 38% of the total amount; (ii) AM is the biggest sector that controls the productions of other sectors (weight is from 35% to 50%); (iii) the USWS is mutualistic, where direct consumption coefficients of AM and PM are key factors that have negative effects on solid waste production intensity; (iv) the commodity consumption of AM and PM from other sectors, as well as economic activities of CON, TRA and OTH, should both decrease by 20%, which would be beneficial to the sustainability of the USWS.