Characteristics and driving factors of coastal rural domestic waste of the Yellow River Delta in China

So far, waste discharge has caused serious regional pollution owing to the deficiency of waste management in rural areas located across coastal areas. However, characteristics of rural domestic waste generation and the potential drivers of water eutrophication in the Yellow River Delta remain poorly understood. Under the background that the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin have risen as a national strategy, the lack of such research is unfavorable to the control of non-point source pollution and the promotion of comprehensive treatment of rural domestic waste. This study, investigated 142 field data from a typical town in the Yellow River Delta in China at the summer of 2020. Then used structural equation modeling and redundancy analysis to characterize the driving factors of rural domestic waste generation and potential polluting components in water from three perspectives: village domestic waste management measures, household characteristics, and consumption habits. The consumption of cleaning products illustrated the maximum explanation rate of waste generation (up to 20.1%), and showed significant effect on the total nitrogen content, and annual household food consumption had a significant impact on organic matter. The “Beautiful Village” and “Waste Classification” pilot villages effectively reduced the content of potential polluting components in the domestic waste of villages, attaining approximately 12.1% reduction in organic matter and 79.8% in total nitrogen. Therefore, to effectively control rural non-point source pollution, it is necessary to implement pilot projects, advocate villagers to reduce unnecessary consumption of cleaning products and dietary ingredients. This work can provide a theoretical basis for rural domestic waste treatment and offshore environmental protection in the Yellow River Delta.