The application of an life cycle inventory (LCI) model for solid waste disposal systems in malaysia

Abstract

This paper discusses the application of an LCt model for solid waste management systems in Malaysia. The model was used to analyze the environmental and economic impacts of municipal waste management systems in Malaysia. In the first part of the study, the LCI model was adapted to analyze waste management systems of four selected cities: Kuala Lumpur and Penang to represent urban areas; Seremban to represent moderately urban areas and Muar to represent rural areas. The results have shown that Kuala Lumpur and Penang had greater Global Warming Potential (GWP) and the costs spent on the solid waste management were also higher as compared to that in suburban areas. In the second part of the study, a detailed evaluation was carried out by analyzing the implication of introducing incineration and composting into the solid waste management system, and the results were compared with the current system, i.e. 100 % landfilled. The relative GWP was lower for incineration, but the cost was extremely high. The results also showed that the final solid waste to be disposed to landfills and the impact due to water emissions could be reduced significantly when incineration and composting were introduced.