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• Evaluated the environmental impacts of plastic wastes management strategies by LCA. • Industrial incineration is the most potential preferential strategy for Hong Kong. • Mechanical recycling is the second most environmentally sustainable strategy. • Reusing plastics in construction is not an environmental-friendly solution compared to others. • The integrated alternative scenarios can lead to 64–97% reduction of the total impacts. Considering the volume of plastic generation and its persistence in nature, the management of plastic wastes has gained increasing attention globally. To select the most environmentally sustainable solution, insights in the environmental impacts of different management strategies are crucial. This study thus aimed to evaluate different plastic waste management strategies such as mechanical recycling, incineration, industrial incineration, construction and landfill, and exemplified with potential case demonstrations in Hong Kong. The environmental impacts of the developed strategies are comparatively evaluated by the lifecycle assessment (LCA) technique in order to identify the most environmentally preferable strategy. The LCA results indicate that industrial incineration is the most potential preferential strategy for Hong Kong, as it can potentially consume the generated waste locally and substitute the imported coal for the cement industry. Mechanical recycling is the second preferential strategy for the city, as it conserves secondary resources significantly. Grate incineration for generating electricity is the third preferable solution, while the use of recycled plastics in construction may not be a benign environmental strategy for Hong Kong. The findings of this study could help policy makers to design strategic direction for environmentally sustainable management of plastic wastes locally based on the circular economy principle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turning waste-to-resources is one of the key scientific interests in recent years, especially within industrial symbiosis networks in order to reduce the waste management problem and associated environmental consequences, improve materials efficiency and conserve natural resources. Considering global concern over fossil fuel burning and CO 2 emission, engineered fuels are increasingly used in cement production. The techno-environmental feasibility of using post-consumer wood derived fuel (WDF) in practical application is rarely reported. This study comprehensively evaluated the process feasibility and environmental compliances of utilizing WDF as an alternative fuel in the co-combustion process. The results revealed that physical parameters of WDF met the required fuel standards, and the air emissions by continuous emission measurements also met the specified limits and comparable to the baseline. The stack emission parameters monitored including particulates, dioxin, mercury, cadmium and thallium, and other heavy metals were about 60%, 2%, 21%, 6% and 7% of the specified limits. In addition to significantly reducing CO 2 emission (16% for using 20% WDF as co-fuel), the characteristics, of the flue gas as monitored by continuous emission monitoring and periodic stack emission at the cement plant, and the produced clinker quality were also not affected by the use of WDF. These have demonstrated the suitability of WDF as co-fuel for cement production. • Techno-environmental feasibility of bio-fuel derived from wood waste was evaluated. • Comprehensively reported the practical application of co-combustion process in the cement industry. • WDF was suitable in the co-combustion based on compliances in emission and process parameters. • About 16% reduction of GHGs emission was observed for 20% replacement of coal by WDF in the plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Waste timber formwork from construction sites was used as fibre to prepare wood-magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC) board. The effect of wood fibre content, pulverized fly ash (PFA) and incinerated sewage sludge ash (ISSA) on the mechanical and durability properties of wood-MOC board was investigated. Greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission, one of the representative and most globally concerned environmental impacts, for the production of different types of composite boards was assessed and compared by using lifecycle assessment (LCA) technique. The 'cradle-to-gate' system boundary with 1 kg of board production was considered as the functional unit in this assessment. The result showed that the wood-MOC composites prepared with a higher content of wood fibre had a lower thermal conductivity, higher flexural strength, higher residual flexural strength after exposure to high temperatures and water immersion, and better noise reduction effect. Even though the water absorption was increased with the increase of wood fibre content, it can still be considered to be low. The wood -MOC composites incorporating ISSA showed higher flexural strength, better high temperature resistance and better water resistance than other composites. In addition, the production of the wood MOC board induces lower GHGs emission than plywood and lower human toxicity than conventional resin-based particleboard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A rapid development of building environmental research from the globe is witnessed in recent years to deal with the environmental issues, especially in terms of energy consumption and carbon emissions, due to the substantial environmental burdens associated with the building industry. Thus, numerous scientific efforts have been devoted to buildings through environmental assessment like a life cycle assessment (LCA) and a methodological framework development. Concerning the rapid growth of buildings, LCA is increasingly used for assessing and mitigating the associated environmental impacts from material selection to the whole building systems. This study aims to comprehensively review the LCA implication on buildings by discussing the contemporary issues related to the development of this research field. The study considers a wide range of literature including case studies, reviews and surveys, and these articles are critically examined according to the predefined criteria developed. An in-depth analysis is also conducted on selected studies to unveil the criticality of the assessments and results under different considerations. In addition to demonstrating the research gaps for comprehensive assessment of buildings, the adoption of a circular economy (CE) concept is highlighted by providing a comprehensive framework. The findings show that resource recovery and resource-efficient building construction are seldom considered in prevailing studies. As a result, the framework proposed in this paper should help support a paradigm shift towards a comprehensive research for increasing the accuracy and practicability by introducing the CE principle to the building industry for enhancing its sustainability performance. Highlights • Literature related to building-environmental research was critically analyzed. • LCA implication on buildings was comprehensively reviewed by discussing the contemporary issues. • Selected papers were critically analyzed to unveil the research trends and practices. • Knowledge gaps for comprehensive assessment of buildings under the CE principle are identified. • Comprehensive framework based on the CE principle was proposed for comprehensiveness building LCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of the building industry on environmental impacts, especially global warming potential (GWP) impact due to greenhouse gases emissions is undisputed. Thus, significant efforts have been devoted to minimize environmental impacts and waste management problems from building construction globally. Numerous studies have particularly focused on assessing the environmental impacts of buildings based on materials, construction processes and whole building systems. However, less attention has been given on some critical features, especially on temporary works (e.g., hoarding system). But the temporary works also consume considerable amounts of materials and generate significant amounts of waste due to its short service life time. Therefore, this study evaluated the environmental impacts of hoarding systems as a case study in Hong Kong with the aim to identify the areas of impacts reduction and improvements in its waste management system. A case-specific structured questionnaire survey was conducted to the relevant stakeholders to identify the essential materials, and construction, deconstruction and waste management processes of hoarding systems, whereas life cycle assessment was employed to assess the associated environmental impacts. The findings demonstrated that more than 3 tonnes of CO 2 eq GWP and 39 GJ of non-renewable energy consumption impacts were associated with 1 m of hoarding construction. This is mainly due to the use of large amounts of steel products and concrete in the construction of the hoarding system. This results and analysis can help the building industry to identify the opportunity for reducing environmental impacts, and facilitate resource-efficient and effective design of hoarding systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scarceness of virgin resources and sustainable management of waste materials in high-density city arouse heightened focus on new technology development for waste recycling and local utilization. Wood waste recovery from construction activities and upcycling into secondary products allow the substitution of virgin resources and minimize the environmental burdens within the frontier of industrial ecology. This study assessed the technical viability and environmental sustainability of cement-bonded particleboards (CBPs) produced with recycled wood aggregates and alternative binder; and compared the performance of its counterpart produced with virgin wood and ordinary binder using experimental analysis and life cycle assessment (LCA). The experimental results showed acceptable mechanical performance of the developed CBPs in compliance with the required standards. Adoption of carbon dioxide curing technology further enhanced the durability of the developed CBPs. Although similar greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission was observed for imported conventional CBPs and locally produced CBPs with alternative materials, the considerations of direct carbon sequestration and landfill avoidance contributed to a 9% reduction of the total GHGs compared to conventional CBPs. The LCA results also demonstrated that substantial amount of GHGs can be potentially saved depending on the recycling rates of wood waste in Hong Kong. Hence, technological innovation can effectively address problem of wood waste disposal and enhance material utilization and sustainability of the construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The management of a large amount of wood waste generated from construction activities is a challenging issue. However, wood waste is an inherently renewable resource that can be recycled and utilized for the production of green products and renewable energy. In order to minimize the environmental impacts and to provide a scientific basis for the decision-making process on the wood waste management systems, a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach was employed in this study to evaluate the potential management systems from an environmental point of view. Three alternative scenarios, including the recycling and reusing of wood waste to produce organic polymer based particleboard, cement-bonded particleboard and energy were compared with the current disposal strategy (landfill disposal), with the functional unit of 1 tonne of wood waste within a cradle-to-grave system boundary. The LCA results showed that significant reductions of environmental impacts were observed for the production of particleboard (scenario 1) and wood-cement composite (scenario 2) from wood waste compared to that of using virgin wood. However, the results also showed that scenario 3 (energy generation from bio-fuel derived from wood waste) was the best strategy, as this technology reduces more than 1 tonne of CO 2 eq greenhouse gases compared to the energy generation from coal. The analysis conducted in this study can serve as guidelines to design a sustainable and resource-efficient wood waste management system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the world’s most widely used construction material, the production of concrete has been recognized to lead to major environmental impacts. To promote sustainability in the concrete industry, various kinds of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), such as fly ash, blast furnace slag and silica fume have been used to replace cement in concrete production. The nature of these SCMs has therefore been changed from wastes to co-products or by-products. Life cycle assessment (LCA) has been increasingly adopted in the concrete industry to assess environmental sustainability. However, the choice of an appropriate method for impact distribution in the LCA of concrete incorporating SCMs is a research challenge. This study aimed to present a comprehensive review of the impact allocation approaches for assessing the environmental impacts of SCMs-incorporated concrete. Furthermore, the use of the system expansion approach was compared with the conventional mass and economic allocation approaches. A case study of concrete production using SCMs in Hong Kong was conducted using the different approaches. The results were then analyzed and it was concluded that the system expansion approach is appropriate for the assessment of the environmental impacts of SCMs-incorporated concrete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to compare the environmental performance of building construction waste management (CWM) systems in Hong Kong. Life cycle assessment (LCA) approach was applied to evaluate the performance of CWM systems holistically based on primary data collected from two real building construction sites and secondary data obtained from the literature. Different waste recovery rates were applied based on compositions and material flow to assess the influence on the environmental performance of CWM systems. The system boundary includes all stages of the life cycle of building construction waste (including transportation, sorting, public fill or landfill disposal, recovery and reuse, and transformation and valorization into secondary products). A substitutional LCA approach was applied for capturing the environmental gains due to the utilizations of recovered materials. The results showed that the CWM system by using off-site sorting and direct landfilling resulted in significant environmental impacts. However, a considerable net environmental benefit was observed through an on-site sorting system. For example, about 18–30 kg CO 2 eq. greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission were induced for managing 1 t of construction waste through off-site sorting and direct landfilling, whereas significant GHGs emission could be potentially avoided (considered as a credit −126 to −182 kg CO 2 eq.) for an on-site sorting system due to the higher recycling potential. Although the environmental benefits mainly depend on the waste compositions and their sortability, the analysis conducted in this study can serve as guidelines to design an effective and resource-efficient building CWM system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the promotion of environmental protection in the construction industry, the mission to achieve more sustainable use of resources during the production process of concrete is also becoming important. This study was conducted to assess the environmental sustainability of concrete slurry waste (CSW) management by life cycle assessment (LCA) techniques, with the aim of identifying a resource-efficient solution for utilisation of CSW in the production of partition wall blocks. CSW is the dewatered solid residues deposited in the sedimentation tank after washing out over-ordered/rejected fresh concrete and concrete trucks in concrete batching plants. The reuse of CSW as recycled aggregates or a cementitious binder for producing partition wall blocks, and the life cycle environmental impact of the blocks were assessed and compared with the conventional one designed with natural materials. The LCA results showed that the partition wall blocks prepared with fresh CSW and recycled concrete aggregates achieved higher sustainability as it consumed 59% lower energy, emitted 66% lower greenhouse gases, and produced lesser amount of other environmental impacts than that of the conventional one. When the mineral carbonation technology was further adopted for blocks curing using CO 2 , the global warming potential of the corresponding blocks production process was negligible, and hence the carbonated blocks may be considered as carbon neutral eco-product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A food-energy-water-waste nexus analysis can aid in low carbon city design. • System dynamic modeling analysis synthesizes low carbon city initiative. • Scenario planning helps identify decarbonization pathways for prioritization. The retrofit of existing buildings at a community scale can provide a huge opportunity to reduce the community's energy consumption and subsequent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in support of the United Nations agenda for net-zero emissions and decarbonization. This study demonstrates a community-scale food-energy-water-waste nexus through 6 alternatives (A1–A6) by highlighting decarbonization pathways with system dynamics modeling. Several potential retrofit alternatives are proposed for analyzing building energy consumption, energy requirements for rooftop or greenhouse crop production, and potential energy and water savings from renewable energy harvesting. Such a nexus analysis is designed to integrate (1) building energy consumption, (2) waste management and water consumption, and (3) GHG emissions based on life-cycle assessment to prioritize alternatives. The incorporation of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems (i.e., rooftop, parking lot, parking garage, and floating solar PV) sustains approximately 72% of net energy demand (alternative A3), while the integration of all solar, wind, and anaerobic digestion alternatives provides around 41% of net energy demand (alternative A6). It is vital to emphasize decarbonization pathways through the use of renewable energy by 2030 in alternative A5 (i.e., solar and wind energy) and A6, both of which avoid energy consumption from the utility grid and result in 250% total carbon emissions offset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The possibility of recovering energy from biomass residues has attracted a lot of research interest due to the environmental problems associated with burning coal. Wood wastes generated from construction and demolition activities and other wood product wastes can be a good potential source of renewable energy. The present study was conducted by using Hong Kong as an example to assess the environmental sustainability of converting recycled wood wastes (from construction and demolition activities and other wood product wastes) to produce wood pellets for direct energy generation. The chemical and physical characteristics of different types of wood product wastes were tested. An attributional lifecycle assessment approach was used to assess and compare the environmental impacts and sustainability for heat generation from the pelletized bio-fuel and coal. The test results showed that the energy content, chemical compositions and the trace metal concentrations all met the relevant standards. The results also showed that significant impacts on health, ecosystem, climate change and resources damage can be potentially avoided by using wood pellets instead of coal for energy generation. The overall findings demonstrated that the proposed “energy recovery” approach for using wood pellets as a bio-fuel in Hong Kong is environmentally sustainable, which can provide an alternative route for managing wood product wastes with the added benefits of energy recovery, and may be more applicable in mega cities especially when city-based incineration is a concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable building retrofit can provide a great opportunity to reduce the energy consumption of existing buildings to commensurate the climate policies and enhance the building energy performance. Given it strategic importance, there is no shortage of research studies on sustainable building retrofit globally in particular the retrofit measures and technologies for different types of buildings. Despite that, sustainable building retrofit is climate and location specific, and decision-makers are still facing challenges to identify an optimum set of retrofit measures for different climatic conditions according to the trade-off between energy saving and retrofit cost. One reason for that is because of the lack of available information especially those related to the cost of sustainable building retrofit measures. This study aims to develop an integrated energy-cost model for selecting the optimal retrofit solutions for existing high-rise residential buildings in various climatic zones in China. Based on in-depth literature review and analysis of published reports, different alternative retrofit measures for wall, window, shading system, heating and cooling systems, and renewable energy technologies for buildings in different climate zones of China are identified. The retrofit costs related to the identified sustainable building retrofit measures are analyzed by referring to the local renovation techniques and cost in each zone through developing a set of equations. A total 28 practical sustainable building retrofit measures along with a set of retrofit options are identified. A deterministic decision framework is developed to facilitate decision-makers achieving a specific energy saving target and evaluating the associated costs based on the identified retrofit measures for high-rise residential buildings in the studied climatic zones. The practical implications of the deterministic decision framework are examined through the prototype buildings in climatic zones being studies. The findings not only actively support the selection of cost-effective sustainable retrofit measures for high-rise residential buildings in China, but the methodological framework and its implications are also equally applicable to other countries with diverse climatic characteristics and standards of living. • Developed integrated energy-cost model for finding optimal retrofit solutions. • Identified sustainable retrofit measures based on climates, building features and retrofit cost. • Developed 28 retrofit measures for wall, window, shading, HVAC, and renewable energy systems. • Optimum retrofit solutions can be adopted from identified set of retrofit options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Evaluated the techno-environmental feasibility of using natural pozzolana in concrete production, • Comparable compressive strength was found for the use of VA against conventional SCMs, • VA significantly reduced environmental impacts of concrete compared to OPC and other SCMs, • 11–30% lower GHG emissions was found for VA concrete compared to other cementitious materials. With increasing environmental sustainability concerns in the construction industry and a demand for producing more durable and sustainable concrete, effort is devoted to producing concrete with Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) being substituted by alternative binder materials. By considering the compressive strength, the comprehensive environmental performance of natural pozzolana in concrete was evaluated comparatively by developing six mix-designs of concrete with OPC, and commonly used industrial by-products as supplementary cementitious materials such as fly ash (FA) and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) based on the lifecycle assessment (LCA) approach. The results show that comparable compressive strengths can be achieved for the use of 20% and 30% volcanic ash (VA) against conventional SCMs. Using the volume as functional unit, the LCA results have demonstrated that higher environmental savings are associated with VA concrete compared to that of OPC, GGBS (30%) and FA (25%), but almost similar when 50% GGBS is used. For example, 15–24% and 10–19% lower global warming potential are associated with VA concretes compared to that of OPC and FA concretes, respectively, but much higher saving is found when considering the strength of the concrete, as they are about 11–12%, 10–11% and 29–30% compared to that of GGBS, FA and OPC concretes, respectively. The results can be used as valuable guidelines for VA-based in sustainable concrete production, which would further enhance the sustainability of the concrete industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable building retrofitting has attracted serious research attention in recent years as it can significantly reduce energy consumption and thus help achieve energy reduction targets set by governments around the world. In this paper, a sustainable retrofit decision-making model is developed to uncover the optimal set of retrofit solutions according to local climatic conditions, building features, and retrofit costs. Net present value (NPV), a common method for analyzing the feasibility of a building retrofit solution, is used to determine the optimal retrofit solution of existing high-rise residential buildings in a temperate zone and hot summer-cold winter zone, involving prototypical 1990s apartments of 116 and 53 m2 floor areas respectively. This reveals that the lighting system, wall insulation, and upgraded window glazing are essential optimal retrofit measures for the temperate zone, whereas the heating system and shading devices are also essential for the hot summer-cold winter zone. The results indicate that the optimal NPV can be obtained by pursuing a 40% energy saving, as it can result in energy saving of up to 50 kWh/m2/year and 95 kWh/m2/year at an average retrofit cost of approximately USD 1.30 and 3.20 m2/year in the temperate and hot summer-cold winter zones respectively. The sensitivities associated with the most influential optimal NPV and energy savings input parameters are critically analyzed; these can be used by decision-makers to determine the risks and uncertainties related to various cost-effective retrofit measures. The model can help in devising the most suitable sustainable retrofit measures for existing buildings commensurate with the energy reduction targets of policy and decision-makers in the two climate zones. It is also amenable to being adapted for other climatic zones to identify the most appropriate sustainable building retrofit for particular local climatic conditions and building characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Stabilization/Solidification (S/S) for hazardous materials was evaluated by life cycle assessment. • Sediment and municipal solid waste incineration fly ash remediation was studied with 17 S/S scenarios under five strategies. • Alternative binders and recycled materials reduced the overall environmental impacts. • This decision-support process could facilitate the design of sustainable remediation. Proper management of hazardous materials arouses widespread environmental concerns due to its enormous ecological and health impacts. The development of green stabilization/solidification (S/S) technology for resourceful utilization of hazardous materials, as well as the immobilization of potentially toxic elements is of great scientific interests. Cement-based S/S is often considered a low-cost and highly efficient technology, but the environmental sustainability of a broad spectrum of S/S technologies has yet to be evaluated. Therefore, this study assessed the environmental sustainability of S/S technologies for managing two common types of hazardous wastes, i.e., contaminated marine sediment and municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MIFA) by using life cycle assessment (LCA). A total of 17 scenarios under three strategies for sediment and two strategies for MIFA S/S technologies were comprehensively evaluated. The LCA results identified the most preferable S/S technology in each strategy. In particular, Scenario 1 (mixture of sediment with a small percentage of ordinary Portland cement and incinerated sewage sludge ash) of Strategy 1 (use as fill materials) would be the preferred option, as it reduces about 54% and 70% global warming potential compared to those of Scenarios 2 and 3, respectively. This is the first initiative for evaluating the environmental impacts of a wide range of recently developed S/S technologies using green/alternative binders for diverting hazardous wastes from disposal. The results can serve as a decision support for the practical application of the environmentally friendly S/S technology for sustainable remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The circular economy (CE) concept has received increasing attention among different parties on various levels recently. Due to the concern on significant resources consumption in the construction industry without concerning the physical limit resources, a paradigm shift of linear economy to CE model is inevitable for conserving the resources and promoting the efficient use of resources. Adopting CE into the construction industry can promote the successful transition to sustainable construction. Although early stage of development in the construction industry, the scientific contribution of CE agenda in the construction industry is significantly increasing. Therefore, this review aimed to identity the implications, considerations, contributions and challenges of CE in the construction industry by systematically analyzing the recent literature. In addition to existing trends and considerations, this study highlighted the numerous challenges under design, materials selection, supply chain, business model, uncertainty and risk, collaborations among actions, knowledge of understanding, relevant policy, integration of urban metabolism, and methodology for CE evaluation. The study found that CE implementation into the case-specific building with full scale evaluation is yet to be conducted, and a comprehensive CE integration and methodology framework is yet to be developed. A prospective integrated framework for CE adoption and evaluation method is proposed by analyzing the contemporary issues. It is believed that the analyzed critical issues for CE adoption, identified future research direction, and proposed frameworks and methodology should help further development of CE research and contribution to effective implementation of CE into the industry for promoting sustainable construction. • Recent development of CE research agenda in the construction industry is critically analyzed. • Implications, considerations, and challenges of CE in the industry are summarized. • Future research directions are identified for comprehensive CE adoption and evaluation. • Proposed an integrated holistic framework for CE adoption and its evaluation methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past three decades, life cycle assessment (LCA) has been increasingly employed to evaluate the environmental impacts of products and buildings. However, the reliability of LCA is frequently weakened by the practice of arbitrary omission of processes and materials and the problem of insufficient data, both leading to inconsistencies in the LCA results. This study proposes an Index of Completeness (IoC) to account for the completeness of an LCA study for a variety of impact categories. An IoC calculation tool is developed to cover the entire life cycle of buildings, including stages of product, construction, use and end-of-life as well as the benefits from recycling and reuse. The IoC helps to identify and remove the inconsistencies in LCA and to enhance its comparability. Residential building projects are tested as case studies. It is found that the IoCs of most impact categories are as high as 98%–99%, whereas of the category of human toxicity the IoC is 85%, mainly due to the fact that plywood formwork was not included in the original model. Sensitivity analysis reveals that dataset changes in an LCA model can not only affect the impact assessment results, but also possibly have influence on the completeness of the LCA model. The LCA practitioners are suggested to combine the newly developed IoCs with the standard four phases of LCA when applying to complex products. Future research should focus on case studies implementing the IoC calculation tool, inclusion of more impact categories in the IoC model, and continuing development to include other complex products. Image 1 • An Index of Completeness (IoC) is proposed to describe to what extent the processes and data are included. • An IoC calculation tool is developed for the building sector. • The case study of a residential building project is conducted. • The IoC of human toxicity is as low as 85%, caused by the exclusion of plywood formwork in the original model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ability to forecast the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) generation can help formulate a robust future WEEE management system. Previous studies applied forecasting models, such as the grey model and artificial neural networks, to predict WEEE generation from a country perspective, leading to less accurate forecasts due to huge socio-economic differences in rural and urban areas. Additionally, there has been the incompatibility of a single forecasting model for all WEEE types, and this remained a research gap. Taking advantage of respective forecasting models, this study presents a hybrid model, Grey Artificial Neural Network, to forecast the WEEE generation of 31 province-level regions in China while evaluating the socio-economic analysis of seven WEEE types via Pearson correlation analysis. More than 70% of WEEE from province-level regions strongly correlates (R > ±0.8) with the gross domestic product and the population, whereas some top WEEE-generating province-level regions (i.e., Tianjin and Shanghai) correlate weakly to moderately. The root mean square error and mean absolute error of the developed Grey Artificial Neural Network hybrid model are the lowest at 8.29 and 6.48, compared to the grey model (13.53 and 11.13) and back-propagation neural network (9.21 and 7.22). Though the Grey Artificial Neural Network hybrid model has the lowest error, posterior mean square deviation ratio analysis indicates that this hybrid model is only suitable for washing machines, refrigerators, color televisions, and personal computers (urban area), while the back-propagation neural network is suitable for monochrome televisions, air conditioners, and personal computers (rural area). Compared to 2019, it is projected that an additional 32.92 M units of WEEE will be generated by 2025, suggesting that China should build at least 15 extra recycling centers (14% more based on 2016) to handle the increased WEEE generation. This study provides policy implications for effective WEEE monitoring and collection systems to build resilient WEEE management. [Display omitted] • Grey artificial neural network hybrid model with higher accuracy is developed. • Province's socio-economic correlation and e-waste prediction are conducted. • Top e-waste-generating province-level regions exhibit different socio-economic correlation. • China's e-waste will reach 286 M units in 2025, 13% more than in 2019. • Policy and strategy are recommended for the increased e-waste generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]