Analytical Hierarchy Process-Based Decision Making for Sustainable MSW Management Systems in Small and Medium Cities

A strategic review on Municipal Solid Waste (living solid waste) management system focusing on policies, selection criteria and techniques for waste-to-value

Evaluation of the municipal solid waste (MSW) management system seems necessary to promote urban services. The present study is aimed to identify and prioritize the problems and deficiencies of MSW management in Iran. This study has used a mixed-methods (Scoping review and Delphi technique) approach to achieve its goals. The results obtained by the scoping review showed that the average rate of Iran’s MSW generation in the last decade (2009–2019) was 0.745 kg/capita/day. The average of MSW composition was estimated to include: organic material (68.42%), paper and cardboard (7.31%), plastic (9.80%), pet (0.99%), metal (1.59%), rubber (1.09%), textile (3.02%), glass (2.33%), wood (0.97%), and others (4.48%). Also a scoping review of the current status of Iran’s MSW management showed that at present, Iran’s MSW management has both some strengths (such as collecting more than 90% of the total generated MSW) and lot of weaknesses such as lack of a systematic program for MSW reduction, weakness in source separation, low processing and recycling, unsanitary disposal of MSW, etc. According to the results of the Delphi technique, Iran’s main MSW management problems are: disregarding the investment for culturalization in the field of SWM and low effectiveness of the existing educational methods, disregarding the principles of integrated solid waste management hierarchy, imbalance in cost-efficiency in MSW systems, the existence of major deficits and weaknesses in recruitment and selection of staffs and the existence of additional non-expert human resources, lack of incongruity between the non-standard solid waste disposal crimes and their penalties, lack of executive guarantees for the proper implementation of the existing regulations, poor performance of the responsible organizations in the field of public education, as well as lack of effective cooperation among the responsible bodies in this field. Overall, consideration and elimination of priority problems and reinforcement the strengths of Iran’s MSW management system can be effective in improving the performance of this system.

Life cycle assessment of municipal solid waste management with regard to greenhouse gas emissions: Case study of Tianjin, China

Social-economic assessment of integrated waste pickers in municipal solid waste management system: A case of Tianjin in China

The location problem of treatment and service facilities in municipal solid waste (MSW) management system is of significant importance due to the socioeconomic and environmental concerns. The consideration of waste treatment costs, environmental impact, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, social fairness as well as other relevant aspects should be simultaneously taken into account when a MSW management system is planned. Development of sophisticated decision support tools for planning MSW management system in an economic-efficient and environmental friendly manner is therefore important. In this paper, a general multi-objective location-allocation model for optimally managing the interactions among those conflicting factors in MSW management system is proposed. The model is comprised of a three-stage conceptual framework and a mixed integer mathematical programming. The inclusion of environmental impact and GHG emission objectives push the output of the model tightening toward more environmentally friendly and sustainable solutions in MSW management. The application of this model is demonstrated through an illustrative example, and the computational efficiency of the programming is also tested through a set of incremental parameters. Latter in this paper, a comparison with previous case studies of MSW system design is presented in order to show the applicability and adaptability of the generic model in practical decision-making process, and the perspectives of future study are also discussed.

Life cycle assessments of municipal solid waste management systems: A comparative analysis of selected peer-reviewed literature

Major cities in transitional and developing countries are facing the ever-growing challenge of managing solid waste in a sustainable manner. While a variety of treatments exist for solid waste, cities are in need of a sustainable integrated municipal solid waste management (MSWM) system. Such a system is meant to assist them in selecting and investing in an appropriate combination of treatments for the waste they generate, depending on the composition and quantity of this waste. This study presents a systems analysis of the MSWM in Cairo. A constrained non-linear mathematical model is developed to represent an underlying model of a MSWM system, with six waste material flows (cardboard and paper, plastics, metals, glass, organic material, and others). The developed model depicts combinations of five treatment alternatives (composting, anaerobic digestion, mechanical biological treatment, incineration, and landfilling). The treatment methods and their capacity are determined by the model, indicating possible optimal design solutions and recommendations. Starting with an evaluation of the status quo of the MSWM system in Cairo, the paper proposes a staged strategy, involving investigating improvements to the current mixed-waste management system, then exploring the possibility of introducing at-source waste sorting. The environmental and economic implications of different scenarios are analyzed and compared. A material flow analysis, including input data uncertainties, is also conducted by applying substance flow analysis. This analysis shows the difference between the status quo and the proposed improved solutions for diverting waste from landfills and, thus, decreasing carbon dioxide emissions.

The sustainability of the Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) system is one of the crucial issues for achieving sustainable development goals. However, current studies only focus on evaluating certain aspects of the MSWM system at cities level, and it lacks a comprehensive overview of the sustainability of the MSWM system at the national level in China. In addition, many studies only focused on the MSWM system in the urban area, whereas the MSWM system in counties has not been systematically reported in China previously. In this work, we developed an indicator system based on the widely accepted “Wasteaware” benchmark indicator framework, consisting of four dimensions (resource value, environmental impact, economic feasibility, and social aspect) to assess the sustainability of the MSWM system in China from 1980 to 2019. It was found that the MSW generation per unit of living expenditure, recycling rate, and landfill disposal rate dropped from 87.8 g CNY−1 to 16.5 g CNY−1, 20.0% to 17.0%, and 100.0% to 53.3%, respectively, over the last four decades. The controlled disposal rate of MSW increased from 6.9% to 98.5%, while per capita GHGs emissions from the MSW sector rose by 2.5 times. Per capita financial input intensity increased 35 times, and the social score elevated from 8 to 83. It was found that the score of MSWM sustainability decreased from 26 to 12 first in 1980–1994, then rose to 82 from 1994 to 2019. However, the financial input efficiency of MSWM in China showed a sharp decline for both resource value and environmental impact performances, from 5.5 to 0.12 (score) billion CNY−1 and from 6.2 to 0.06 (score) billion CNY−1, respectively. Although the facilities, financial investment, and regulation of the MSWM in China were primarily improved, there are still challenges in reducing MSW generation, promoting recycling, and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Policy implications were put forward based on the assessment results.

Because the consumption of materials is generally higher than their recovery rate, improving municipal solid waste (MSW) management is fundamental for increasing the efficiency of natural resource use and consumption in urban areas. More broadly, the characteristics of a MSW management system influence the end-of-life (EOL) impacts of goods consumed by households. We aim to indicate the extent to which greenhouse gas emissions from a MSW management system can be reduced by increasing waste paper recycling. We also address the stakeholders' contribution for driving transition towards an improved scenario. Life cycle assessment (LCA) addresses the EOL impacts of the paper industry, driven by the characteristics of MSW management in Florianópolis, Brazil, by varying the level of stakeholders' commitment through different recycling scenarios. The results show that 41% of the climate change impacts from waste paper management could be reduced when increasing the waste paper recycling rates and reducing waste paper landfilling. To achieve such emissions reduction, the industry contribution to the MSW management system would have to increase from 17% in the business-as-usual scenario to 74% in the target scenario. We were able to measure the differences in stakeholders' contribution by modelling the MSW management system processes that are under the industry's responsibility separately from the processes that are under the government's responsibility, based on the Brazilian legal framework. The conclusions indicate that LCA can be used to support policy directions on reducing the impacts of MSW management by increasing resource recovery towards a circular economy.

In this study, the life cycle assessment (LCA) method has been used to evaluate the environmental impacts of various municipal solid waste (MSW) management system scenarios in Banepa municipality, Nepal, in terms of global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), human toxicity potential (HTP), abiotic depletion potential (ADP), and photochemical ozone creation potential (POCP). There are at least six possible scenarios of MSW management in Banepa: the current or baseline scenario (Scenario 1); composting with landfilling (Scenario 2); material recovery facility (MRF) recycling, composting, and landfilling (Scenario 3); MRF and anaerobic digestion (AD); composting, and landfilling (Scenario 4); MRF, composting, AD, and landfilling (Scenario 5); and, finally, incineration with landfilling (Scenario 6). Using both information from Ecoinvent 3.6 (2019) and published research articles, a spreadsheet tool based on the LCA approach was created. The impact of the recycling rate on each of the six abovementioned scenarios was evaluated using sensitivity analysis, which showed that the recycling rate can considerably decrease the life-cycle emissions from the MSW management system. Scenario 3 was found to have the least overall environmental impact with a GWP of 974.82 kg CO2 eq. per metric ton (t), EP of 0.04 kg PO4 eq./t, AP of 0.15 kg SO2 eq./t, HTP of 4.55 kg 1,4 DB eq./t, ADP of −0.03 kg Sb eq./t, and POCP of 0.06 kg C2H4 eq./t. By adoption of MRF and biological treatments such as composting and AD, environmental impact categories such as AP, EP, HTP, ADP, POCP, and GWP can be significantly reduced. The findings of this study can potentially serve as a reference for cities in the developing world in order to aid in both the planning and the operation of environmentally friendly MSW management systems.

Optimum municipal solid waste (MSW) management system is an essential aspect to be considered. Optimal MSW management system could incur high cost of investment related to its construction, operation, and maintenance. The optimal configurations of the technologies within the system are of high importance, especially in developing countries due to the limitation on financial support. There are still limited studies on the integration of the possible configurations of the selected MSW management, which are centralized, clustered, and decentralized, in addition to location planning. A cost optimization model with the consideration of location planning is developed to identify the optimal configuration of the MSW management system with technologies considered such as landfilling, composting, refuse derived fuel, and reuse and recycling. The configuration considered in the study includes a centralized system, where all waste is gathered in a specific location and treated. The second configuration is the clustered system, where zones are identified, and waste treatment center is built in each zone. Finally, the decentralized, where smaller treatment centers are built at each village. The case study took place at the Desoq District, Kafr El Sheikh, Egypt. It is inhabited with a population of about 0.5 M capita. Fifteen scenarios are generated to account for the different combination of system configurations and the type of waste treatment and disposal unit. A mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model is developed to perform the optimization. The results showed that increasing in the type and degree of treatment increases the net profit. This means that the incorporation of sorting, recycling, composting and RDF production leads to higher profit compared to landfilling only. The centralized systems turned out to attain more net profit than decentralized and clustered systems. The optimum scenario with maximum net profit value was the centralized system with sorting, composting, waste to energy facilities, and one landfill with a net profit of 3.864 USD/t/d. The optimal location for such centralized system is identified to be located beside Desoq wastewater treatment plant and between Desoq and Sanhour cities. The same model can be applied to other rural areas in developing countries.

Examining the effectiveness of municipal solid waste management systems: An integrated cost–benefit analysis perspective with a financial cost modeling in Taiwan

Every year, religious events (REs) attended by millions of pilgrims, take place in different holy cities around the world. However, research on municipal solid waste management (MSWM) is limited despite the reputation of REs to generate large amounts of municipal solid waste (MSW), which negatively influences the environment and human health when poorly managed. The Arba’een is one of the largest REs in Iraq and worldwide that attracts more than 11 million pilgrims annually. A large quantity of MSW is produced during this event, which is poorly managed and disposed of in a dumpsite without any treatment, due to the lack of research and data about MSW generated during such events. Thus, this research aims to address part of this gap and contribute to new knowledge on MSWM at REs by studying the MSWM system applied at the Arba’een, a subject that has never been considered before. This study adopts mixed methods research approach, employing composition analysis for MSW, questionnaire surveys and interviews with the stakeholders (hoteliers, camp owners, pilgrims and MSWM authorities) and on-site observations as key methods for generation of data. The MSWM system was assessed based on the opinion of the key stakeholders and the Wasteaware benchmark indicators formwork. Numerical models were built to estimate the quantities of MSW produced by pilgrims’ accommodation (hotels and camps) based on the characteristics of the accommodation (capacity, area etc.). MSWM services users’ (hoteliers, camp owners and pilgrims) intention to participate in a recycling scheme and the variables influence this intention were studied with a view of investigating the possibility of introducing a recycling scheme at REs. The results showed that REs account for 14% of the city’s MSW and its main components were organic (57.9%), paper (14.9%) and plastic (14.6%). The MSWM system suffers from operational and governance weaknesses; the key weaknesses are lack of controlled disposal facility, absence of a formal recycling scheme, deficit of key waste-related data, poor public involvement, inadequate planning, and funding limitations. Statistical analyses showed that average municipal solid waste generation (MSWG) from hotels and camps were 112 and 413kg.day-1, respectively. Hotels’ MSWG is influenced by their capacity, staff size and expenditure while camps’ capacity, expenditure and food services affect its MSWG. MSWG from hotels and camps can be modelled with a coefficient of determination of about 0.80. In addition, more than 65% of MSWM system users are willing to participate in MSW recycling during REs and it is expected that about one third would perform recycling; this indicates that introducing MSW recycling during REs could be successful.

Municipal solid waste (MSW) management is one of the global challenges facing the world today in order to achieve development goals. This paper aims to structure MSW management problems into hierarchy to assist in decision making process in order to select the most appropriate MSW management strategy in Yaounde. The tool used is the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), one of the multi criteria decision making techniques. From the synthesis of the decision/policy makers’ judgements, the criteria “sustainable development” and “waste service quality” are the priority objectives that must be applied to MSW management system in Yaounde; and the alternatives “pre-collection” and “selective collection” are the suitable actions to integrate into the current MSW management system in Yaounde.

At present, there are many environmental, economic and social problems associated with poor municipal solid waste (MSW) management in Thailand. The development of sustainable solid waste management systems is a crucial aspect and should be based on an integrated approach. Therefore, an integrated system was designed for Nonthaburi Municipality incorporating recycling, anaerobic digestion, incineration and landfill technologies. In order to assess sustainability, a clear methodology was developed via life cycle thinking and a set of endpoint composite indicators has been proposed considering the most critical ultimate damages/effects of MSW management on the environment, the economy and society. The results showed that the appropriate integration of technologies offers important prospects with regards to socio-economic and environmental aspects, contributing, therefore, to improved sustainability for the overall MSW management system. The methodology and the proposed indicators would be useful in strategic planning, including decision- and policy-making with respect to the development of appropriate sustainable MSW management systems.