A life cycle assessment of biological treatment scenario of municipal solid waste in developing country (case study: Makassar, Indonesia)

Abstract

Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) is a significant challenge in developing countries, including Indonesia, where landfilling is the predominant waste treatment method. This study examines the case of Makassar City, where landfilling is still in use while composting is utilized to a limited extent. The research aims to evaluate and compare the environmental impact with three alternative scenarios involving biological treatment and life cycle assessment (LCA) processing. The scenarios were examined: Business as Usual Scenario (BaU), Landfill and Composting, Landfill and Anaerobic Digestion, Landfill, Composting, and Anaerobic Digestion. The study considers waste transportation, landfilling, anaerobic digestion, and composting within its system boundary, using annual waste processing as the functional unit. Environmental impacts assessed include global warming, acidification, and eutrophication. The findings indicate that the BaU scenario has the highest environmental impact, particularly regarding global warming, with 8,436,685.61 kg CO2eq/year emissions. On the other hand, alternative scenario 3, which incorporates landfill management, composting, and anaerobic digestion, shows a relatively lower Global Warming Potential (GWP) emission. However, further measures are needed to effectively reduce emissions, such as implementing a cover for the compost pile and arranging the mixing.