Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Composition, and Management: The World Scenario

Purpose Due to the increasing population and prosperity, the generation rate of municipal solid waste (MSW) has increased significantly, resulting in serious problems on public health and the environment. Every single person in the world is affected by the municipal solid waste management (MSWM) issue. MSWM is reaching a critical level in almost all areas of the world and seeking the development of MSW strategies for a sustainable environment. This paper aims to present the existing global status of MSW generation, composition, management and related problems. Design/methodology/approach A total of 59 developed and developing countries have been grouped based on their gross national income to compare the status of various MSWM technologies among them. A total of 19 selection criteria have been discussed to select appropriate MSWM technology(s) for a city/town, which affects their applicability, operational suitability and performance. All risks and challenges arising during the life cycle of the waste to energy (WtE) project have also been discussed. This paper also gives a comparative overview of different globally accepted MSWM technologies and the present market growth of all WtE technologies. Findings It was found that most developed countries have effectively implemented the solid waste management (SWM) hierarchy and are now focusing heavily on reducing, reusing and recycling of MSW. On the other hand, SWM has become very serious in low-income and low-middle-income countries because most of the MSW openly dumps and most countries are dependent on inadequate waste infrastructure and the informal sector. There are also some other major challenges related to effective waste policies, availability of funds, appropriate technology selection and adequacy of trained people. This study clears the picture of MSW generation, composition, management strategies and policies at the worldwide context. This manuscript could be valuable for all nations around the world where effective MSWM has not yet been implemented. Originality/value This study clears the picture of solid waste generation, composition, management strategies and policies at the worldwide context. This manuscript could be valuable for all nations around the world where effective MSWM has not yet been implemented. In this study, no data was generated. All supporting data were obtained from previously published papers in journals, the outcomes of the international conferences and published reports by government organizations.

Technological advancements, environmental regulations, and emphasis on resource conservation and recovery have greatly reduced the environmental impacts of municipal solid waste (MSW) management, including emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). This study was conducted using a life-cycle methodology to track changes in GHG emissions during the past 25 years from the management of MSW in the United States. For the baseline year of 1974, MSW management consisted of limited recycling, combustion without energy recovery, and landfilling without gas collection or control. This was compared with data for 1980, 1990, and 1997, accounting for changes in MSW quantity, composition, management practices, and technology. Over time, the United States has moved toward increased recycling, composting, combustion (with energy recovery) and landfilling with gas recovery, control, and utilization. These changes were accounted for with historical data on MSW composition, quantities, management practices, and technological changes. Included in the analysis were the benefits of materials recycling and energy recovery to the extent that these displace virgin raw materials and fossil fuel electricity production, respectively. Carbon sinks associated with MSW management also were addressed. The results indicate that the MSW management actions taken by U.S. communities have significantly reduced potential GHG emissions despite an almost 2-fold increase in waste generation. GHG emissions from MSW management were estimated to be 36 million metric tons carbon equivalents (MMTCE) in 1974 and 8 MMTCE in 1997. If MSW were being managed today as it was in 1974, GHG emissions would be ~60 MMTCE.

Global knowledge base for municipal solid waste management: Framework development and application in waste generation prediction

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.

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.

Generation and management of municipal solid waste in top metropolitans of China: A comparison with Singapore

This paper provides an overview of the trend of generation, composition, and management of municipal solid waste, and estimates the carbon emissions arising from municipal solid waste management in Beijing. The correlation analysis conducted shows that the generation of municipal solid waste in Beijing has been growing steadily, showing high correlations (r > 0.9) to the total GDP, per capita income, and the population. Food waste showed an increasing trend since 1990. Compared with the results of an investigation in 1990, ash and woodchips content in 2003 declined from 56% to 17%, while the percentage of paper and plastic increased from 10% to 29% over the same period. The calorific value of the municipal waste also increased, from 2,686 kJ/kg in 1990 to 4,667 kJ/kg in 2003, indicating that the waste is suitable for incineration. Currently, the source separation ratio of municipal waste is approximately 15%. About 94% of all the collected solid waste goes to the landfill while 4% is composted and 2% is incinerated. A moderate garbage collection fee is applied to both permanent and temporary residents in Beijing, but the willingness to pay for solid waste collection and treatment is still low. Under current treatment mode, the total amounts of carbon emission from waste disposal sites and incineration increased with the increase of municipal solid waste, from 29.8 Gg in 1990 to 84.5 Gg in 2003, including 83.3 Gg of CH(4) and 22.0 Gg of CO(2). The data availability and methodological challenges in monitoring the quantity and characteristics of municipal solid waste are discussed.

This article examines the generation and management of municipal solid waste through the lens of economics. The authors estimate that the global burden of municipal solid waste amounted to 1.3 billion metric tons in 1990, or two-thirds of a kilogram of waste per person per day. Industrial countries account for a disproportionately high share of the world's waste relative to their share of world population, while developing countries account for a disproportionately high share of the world's waste relative to their share of world income. Analyses across countries and over time reveal that the generation of municipal solid waste is positively related to variations in per capita income and that the generation of municipal solid waste per capita does not vary with population size among countries with comparable per capita income. Practices for collecting, processing, and disposing of municipal solid waste vary widely across countries, generally in accord with the nature of the waste stream and key environmental and economic features. The least efficient practices tend to be found in developing countries, creating serious threats to local environmental quality and public health. Although considerable evidence indicates that the generation and management of waste is sensitive to income and price variables, natural incentives to overuse common property and the presence of inter- generational externalities both suggest that private economic behavior will not yield socially optimal outcomes in this area. Community intervention may be needed to promote the social good, with evidence accumulating in support of arrangements involving the participation of private firms. The authors' calculations also suggest that improvements made now in the handling of hazardous waste will be far less expensive in discounted terms than undoing in the future the damage being caused by current practices. Addressing these issues from a rational societal perspective will become increasingly urgent in the future, especially in the developing countries, where the authors project that municipal solid waste will increase at an annual rate of 2.7 percent through the year 2010.

Disposal of solid waste poses great challenges to city managements. Changes in solid waste composition and disposal methods, along with urbanisation, can certainly affect greenhouse gas emissions from municipal solid waste. In this study, we analysed the changes in the generation, composition and management of municipal solid waste in Beijing. The changes of greenhouse gas emissions from municipal solid waste management were thereafter calculated. The impacts of municipal solid waste management improvements on greenhouse gas emissions and the mitigation effects of treatment techniques of greenhouse gas were also analysed. Municipal solid waste generation in Beijing has increased, and food waste has constituted the most substantial component of municipal solid waste over the past decade. Since the first half of 1950s, greenhouse gas emission has increased from 6 CO2-eq Gg y(-1)to approximately 200 CO2-eq Gg y(-1)in the early 1990s and 2145 CO2-eq Gg y(-1)in 2013. Landfill gas flaring, landfill gas utilisation and energy recovery in incineration are three techniques of the after-emission treatments in municipal solid waste management. The scenario analysis showed that three techniques might reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 22.7%, 4.5% and 9.8%, respectively. In the future, if waste disposal can achieve a ratio of 4:3:3 by landfill, composting and incineration with the proposed after-emission treatments, as stipulated by the Beijing Municipal Waste Management Act, greenhouse gas emissions from municipal solid waste will decrease by 41%.

Municipal solid waste constitutes environmental challenges globally, especially in developing countries, due to increasing waste generation, population growth, inadequate infrastructure, lack of data and poor planning. This study aims to conduct a comprehensive waste audit on the municipal solid waste generated in Aba, a metropolis in southeastern Nigeria. Aba is a commercial city considered the messiest because of the massive municipal solid waste generation and poor management. The study investigated the energy potential and waste regeneration. Municipal solid waste data was sought to provide insight into the quantity and composition of municipal solid waste. The methodology was site-based, in line with the standard test method for determining unprocessed municipal solid waste (ASTM-D5231-92) and SowaCLINK software, a computer-based environmental application, was used for characterization. Linear extrapolation was adopted to quantify the rate of municipal solid waste generated. The geometric mean was applied to forecast the area’s population for a 10-year design period. The chemical elements of the characterized municipal solid waste were utilized based on the ASTM-D5291 standard for municipal solid waste thermochemical conversion, and the high and low heating values were analyzed. The outcomes provided energy recovery potential, the electrical power potential, and the power to the grid of electrical power of the municipal solid waste. The results obtained were 0.7813 kg/p/d and 490,268 t/y for a population of 1,719,185 persons. The percentage of the municipal solid waste components with energy potential was 71%, comprising 48% combustible and 23% organic components on average. The high heating value computed was 176.5 MJ/kg, and the low heating value was 14 MJ/kg. The energy recovery potential was 3,709,463 MWh, the electrical power potential was 38,680 MW, and the power to the grid was 26.1 MW daily. The research reveals a promising direction in transitioning from the linear economy of municipal solid waste management toward implementing an integrated sustainable municipal solid waste management based on the circular economy model. The study recommends adopting detailed steps to proffer solutions to the environmental challenges associated with municipal solid waste in most low-middle-income countries to achieve sustainable municipal solid waste management while generating electricity and bio-fertilizers through incineration and anaerobic digestion.

The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the current status and identify the problems of municipal solid waste (MSW) management in China in order to determine appropriate remedial strategies. This is the first of two papers, discussing primarily the general characteristics of MSW and its management in China. The second paper focuses on specific remedial strategies. MSW generation in China has increased rapidly in the past 20 years from 31.3 million tons in 1980 to 113.0 million tons in 1998. The annual rate of increase is 3–10%. The average generation per capita is 1.0 kg/day (0.38 t/year). Nearly one-half of the waste generated is dumped in the suburbs, where the accumulated quantity has reached 6 billion tons, which has caused heavy environmental pollution. This paper provides information on MSW management in China, such as MSW generation and its physical, chemical, and biological properties. Low calorific value and high moisture content characterize China's municipal waste. Other issues related to MSW management in China are also discussed, including the factors that influence MSW generation quantity and quality, MSW collection, transfer and transport, treatment and disposal, material recovery, legislation, enforcement, and administration.

Effectively addressing municipal solid waste (MSW) generation and management is critical to achieving sustainable development. As waste volumes grow and environmental pressures intensify, the need for effective strategies becomes increasingly urgent. In Portugal, more than half of MSW is still sent to landfill, despite national and European Union efforts to promote waste reduction and recovery. Identifying the main drivers of waste generation is essential to support evidence-based policies, guide infrastructure investments and accelerate the transition towards a more circular economy. This study analyses MSW generation across 23 Portuguese regions from 1995 to 2022, assessing economic, socio-demographic and policy drivers while accounting for the COVID-19 pandemic. Results show the strong influence of economic drivers (p < 0.001) in MSW generation while demographic variables show limited impact, except for population age. Tourism also contributes to regional waste generation, primarily due to interregional differences in tourism intensity. The COVID-19 pandemic increased MSW generation in the country (p < 0.05). Current policy instruments lack the strength or scope to influence MSW generation, reinforcing the need for more robust approaches. MSW generation is also strongly shaped by structural regional characteristics and year-specific conditions, with most variation explained by these factors, while the included predictors capture additional within-region differences. Overall, the findings underscore the importance of regional and temporal factors and emphasise the need for integrated, regionally tailored strategies to improve waste management and support sustainable policy development.

Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) is one of the primary tasks of metropolitan local authorities in developing countries. For efficient and effective waste management schemes and scheduling, accurate forecast of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generation is essential, due to the uncertainties and unavailability of sufficient MSW generation information and resources in developing countries. The objectives of this paper are to identify influential variables that affect the amount of MSW generation and to predict the future MSW in Sri Lanka by consuming linear, nonlinear models, and machine learning techniques and propose a model for forecast future MSW generation using influential variables. Socio-economic data and waste generation data are collected from the Department of Census and Statistics and the National Solid Waste Management Support Center. Data preparation is done with substitute missing values by average values. Pearson correlation and Principal Component Analysis is used to finding correlation among influential variables. Linear model, Non-linear model, and machine learning model are used to forecast municipal solid waste generation in Sri Lanka. Relatively Linear regression analysis, artificial neural network (ANN), and Random forest used as a linear model, Non-linear model, and machine learning model. Relatively Correlation coefficient of linear regression classification, random forest classification, and ANN are R2=0.6973, R2=0.9608, and R2=0.9923. Based on the correlation coefficient, ANN provides higher accurate results than linear regression and random forest models. Based on the analyzed result, proposed a model for forecast future MSW generation with four influential variables that are municipal solid waste generation, total population, GDP growth rate, and Crude birth rate.

The key objective of the current research effort was to investigate the generation and composition of the municipal solid waste and to assess the recent management practices for solid waste management. The study area was divided into nine wards and four zones on the basis of population size, their economic and living standards. The total solid waste generation during the study period was around 4-5 tonnes per day. The qualitative solid waste analysis of Rudraprayag reveals that it includes the biodegradable, non-biodegradable and inert waste. However, the quantitative solid waste analysis reveals that the highest generation of biodegradable waste was found in February (89.16 %) and lowest in May (79.06 %). Non-biodegradable waste was recorded highest during March (25.72 %) and lowest during June (7.73 %). The percentage of inert waste was maximum during April (2.87 %) minimum during June (0.037 %). The total waste generation was found maximum during February which was 5883.983 g. However, it was found minimum during May which was 2596.034 g.

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