Future Municipal Solid Waste Management Research Articles

GHG Emissions in the Current and Future MSW Management System in Zvornik, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Each and every step in the process of municipal solid waste (MSW) management generates the greenhouse gases (GHG). Therefore, it is imperative to focus on MSW from the source to the final waste disposal in order to decrease the negative impact on the environment. This study aims to calculate the GHG emissions at the present moment (Status Quo) for waste management as well as on the improved MSW management that should be implemented in this local community by 2027 (Scenario 2027). To visualize waste streams in these two scenarios, the STAN 2.5 software was used, and for the calculation of GHG emissions in the City of Zvornik, the IWM-2 software was used. The MSW management Status Quo is basically characterized by the collection communal of waste and its deposition on the landfill without a degasification system and landfill gas treatment. The guidelines and recommendations for MSW management improvement, Scenario 2027 propose the establishment of separate collections of secondary raw materials and biodegradable waste, and improved collection and treatment of landfill gas at the landfill site. The implementation of these measures would result in a reduction of approximately 40% in GHG emissions compared to the Status Quo. The most significant impact would be realized in the environment due to the collection and treatment of landfill.

A multi-objective model to optimize country-scale municipal solid waste management with economic and environmental objectives: A case study in Malaysia

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The analysis of electricity production and greenhouse-gas emission reduction from municipal solid waste sector in Oman

Oman has witnessed a steady growth in greenhouse-gas emissions due to the increase in population and generation of municipal solid waste. Therefore, with the growing greenhouse-gas emissions, waste and energy demands, establishing waste-to-energy technologies is becoming an absolute necessity in Oman. The opportunities to mitigate greenhouse gas from the waste sector in Oman are not exploited or studied, and therefore, this study proposes a holistic quantification model to analyze future municipal solid waste management options. The quantification model is created through a set of assessment tools, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change models and emissions factors, and inputs to the model are based on the conditions of Oman. Total emissions from the disposal of municipal solid waste in landfills are estimated to increase from 2849 GgCO2eq in 2010 to 5565 GgCO2eq in 2030, whereas implementation of incineration, gasification and anaerobic digestion could reduce a total of 6257, 5489 and 4958 GgCO2eq in 2030, respectively, and could simultaneously generate 2096, 1205 and 136 GWh of electricity, respectively. Therefore, through carbon credits and sale of electricity, incineration could attract a total revenue of US$192 million, higher than gasification (US$139 million) and anaerobic digestion (US$81 million) in 2030. The higher potential of incineration to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions is attributed to its ability of treating higher amounts of waste and generating higher energy than gasification and anaerobic digestion. Therefore, this study concludes that incineration is the most optimum technology for Oman in terms of reducing volume of waste and greenhouse-gas emissions and generating energy and revenue.

Policy impacts on Municipal Solid Waste management in Shanghai: A system dynamics model analysis

Shanghai is the first city to implement Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) sorting regulation in China, and it also has policies on economy, demography, MSW collection and treatment. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the impacts of these polices on MSW management for Shanghai. System dynamics model is a prevailing method to simulate impacts of various policies on MSW management from a dynamic and complex perspective. Besides, different from existing studies that consider only a certain process of MSW management, our system dynamic model simulate the entire process of MSW production, sorting, collection and final treatment. Seven scenarios are set to simulate the impacts of these policies. Results show that economic policy has great impact on future MSW management. MSW generation in 2035 will decline by 3.25 Million tonnes if Gross Domestic Production growth rate decrease by 1%. Demographic policy will reduce MSW generation per capita, but increase the total amount of MSW generation. MSW sorting policy will decrease total demand of MSW landfill, but soar the demand of food waste treatment facility. Treatment method policy will not play a big role in decreasing total demand of MSW landfill. Finally, policy implications including prudent economic and demographic policy, strengthening biochemical treatment capacity and comprehensive utilization of residues are proposed. It is anticipated that this system dynamic model and policy implications can contribute to the MSW management of other 45 Chinese cities that are planning to implement sorting regulation soon, or even other global cities.

Municipal solid waste in Brazil: A review.

The production of municipal solid waste (MSW) represents one of the greatest challenges currently faced by waste managers all around the world. In Brazil, the situation with regard to solid waste management is still deficient in many aspects. In 2015, only 58.7% of the MSW collected in Brazilian cities received appropriate final disposal. It was only as late as 2010 that Brazil established the National Policy on Solid Waste (NPSW) based on the legislation and programmes established in the 1970s in more developed countries. However, the situation with regard to MSW management has changed little since the implementation of the NPSW. Recent data show that, in Brazil, disposal in sanitary landfills is practically the only management approach to MSW. Contrary to expectations, despite the economic recession in 2015 the total annual amount of MSW generated nationwide increased by 1.7%, while in the same period the Brazilian population grew by 0.8% and economic activity decreased by 3.8%. The article describes the panorama with regard to MSW in Brazil from generation to final disposal and discusses the issues related to the delay in implementing the NPSW. The collection of recyclable material, the recycling process, the application of reverse logistics and the determination of the gravimetric composition of MSW in Brazil are also addressed in this article. Finally, a brief comparison is made between MSW management in Brazil and in other countries, the barriers to developing effective waste disposal systems are discussed and some recommendations for future MSW management development in Brazil are given.

Heat supply from municipal solid waste incineration plants in Japan: Current situation and future challenges.

The use of waste-to-energy technology as part of a municipal solid waste management strategy could reduce the use of fossil fuels and contribute to prevention of global warming. In this study, we examined current heat and electricity production by incineration plants in Japan for external use. Herein, we discuss specific challenges to the promotion of heat utilisation and future municipal solid waste management strategies. We conducted a questionnaire survey to determine the actual conditions of heat production by incineration plants. From the survey results, information of about 498 incineration plants was extracted. When we investigated the relationship between heat production for external use and population density where incineration plants were located, we found that regions with a population density <1000 persons (km(2))(-1) produce <500 MJ t(-1) of heat. We also found that external use of such energy for factories, markets, and related use, was noted in cities with a population density of 2000 to 4000 persons (km(2))(-1). Several incineration plants have poor performance for heat production because there are few facilities near them to provide demand for the energy. This is the result of redundant capacity, and is reflected in the heat production performance. Given these results, we discussed future challenges to creating energy demand around incineration plants where there is presently none. We also examined the challenges involved in increasing heat supply beyond the present situation.

Full cost accounting on existing and future municipal solid waste management facilities in Greece

&lt;div&gt; &lt;p&gt;In this work, we performed a detailed full cost accounting for 7 types of existing and planned municipal solid waste management facilities (sanitary landfills, anaerobic digestion, biodrying, incineration, aerobic mechanical and biological, material recovery and waste transfer stations) in Greece. We used investment costs (IC), operating costs (OC) and future (restoration) costs (FC) to calculate the actual total unit cost (&amp;euro;/t) of the above types of facilities in 2012 prices. Mathematical cost functions were developed to describe the total cost (&amp;euro;/t) as a function of the MSW input rate (t/y). Actual data from several operating facilities in Greece were used, as well as estimated costs from facilities that are planned or are under construction in Greece. Results showed that the sanitary landfills follow the economy of scale with an average total unit cost of &amp;euro;45/t. The unit cost of the planned anaerobic digestion facilities ranged from &amp;euro;50 to &amp;euro;104/t. The biodrying facilities&amp;rsquo; unit cost ranged from &amp;euro;48 to &amp;euro;138/t, whilst the sole MSW incineration facility was found to have a unit cost of &amp;euro;115/t. Aerobic MBT facilities did not follow the economy of scale. The average total unit cost from 23 MRFs was &amp;euro;32/t. The depreciated investment cost of 18 waste transfer stations (WTS) ranged from &amp;euro;0.5/t to &amp;euro;28/t.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

Prediction of Municipal Solid Waste Generation in China by Multiple Linear Regression Method

Municipal solid waste (MSW) management in China has become a serious issue as it poses challenges to environmental quality and sustainable development. To provide reliable references for planning the future MSW management mode and analysing the potential of waste to energy utilization in China, the prediction of future MSW generation quantity in the whole country is necessary and urgent to be well predicted. In this study, the multiple linear regression, a factor-model-based method, is adopted to predict the future MSW generation in China. Urban population, GDP and consumption level of residents are selected as related factors and their correlations with MSW generation quantity are analysed. With the historical data of 1981–2011 from China Statistical Yearbook, the model is established and model accuracy is assessed through two simulation performance criteria. Based on the future prediction of related factors and multiple linear regression method, the annual MSW generation quantity in China till 2030 can be predicted. It shows that the annual MSW generation in China will increase about 2 times in the next 20 years, which indicates considerable environmental pressure as well as waste to energy potential.

Drivers in current and future municipal solid waste management systems: cases in Yokohama and Boston

Despite some progress, municipal solid waste (MSW) still poses pressure on cities and remains one of the major challenges in environmental management. There is no single solution to the problem since the drivers behind MSW systems may vary significantly from city to city. In this context, the development of a common strategy to attain a sustainable management has been increasingly difficult. This paper presents an issue-driven analytical framework to evaluate the past, present and future MSW management strategy for the cities of Yokohama and Boston considering four driver categories while evaluating if the relevance of these drivers has changed over time. These categories represent: (i) legal drivers (e.g. laws and regulations); (ii) technology development and institutional drivers (e.g. available technologies); (iii) regional and international drivers (e.g. solid waste flow as recyclable resources); and (iv) socio-economic drivers (e.g. population trends and public awareness). The analysis indicated that solid waste management capacity for both cases was under stress due to different reasons. In the case of Boston, the moratorium for disposal facilities played an important role while increasing population was a key driver for the city of Yokohama. The future management scenario suggests that various waste-to-energy alternatives and strong solid waste reduction policies will play a key role for Boston. In Yokohama, a shift on waste composition and generation triggered by a demographic change may open the path for new technologies while also considering the international demand of solid waste as a recyclable resource.

A Practical Approach to Future Municipal Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries-A Closer Look at Georgetown, Guyana

A Practical Approach to Future Municipal Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries-A Closer Look at Georgetown, Guyana

Change in MSW characteristics under recent management strategies in Taiwan

Reduction and recycling initiatives such as producer responsibility and pay-as-you-throw are being implemented in Taiwan. This paper presents a study assessing the impact of recently implemented municipal solid waste (MSW) reduction and recycling management strategies on the characteristics of waste feedstock for incineration in Taiwan. Through the periodic sampling of two typical MSW incineration plants, proximate and ultimate analyses were conducted according to standard methods to explore the influence of MSW reduction and recycling management strategies on incineration feed waste characteristics. It was observed that the annual amount of MSW generated in 2005 decreased by about 10% compared to 2003 and that the characteristics of MSW have changed significantly due to recent management strategies. The heating value of the MSW generated in Taiwan increased yearly by about 5% after program implementation. A comparison of the monthly variations in chemical concentrations indicated that the chlorine content in MSW has changed. This change results from usage reduction of PVC plastic due to the recycling fund management (RFM) program, and the food waste as well as salt content reduction due to the total recycling for kitchen garbage program. This achievement will improve the reduction of dioxin emissions from MSW incineration. In summary, management strategies must be conducted in tandem with the global trend to achieve a zero-waste-discharge country. When implementing these strategies and planning for future MSW management systems, it is important to consider the changes that may occur in the composition and characteristics of MSW over time.

Research for MSW flow analysis in developing nations

Developing nations have various problems regarding municipal solid waste (MSW). Therefore, to carry out a systematic review of the MSW problems in the target area and to formulate a well-considered management plan, it is extremely important to understand the present MSW flow in the region. One of the authors participated in the nine solid waste management (SWM) studies in developing nations undertaken under the technical cooperation program of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Based on these studies, this paper reviews the results of research in developing countries regarding different MSW streams, the factors that cause the differences, and the elements considered to have the most impact on those streams. This research identifies several issues regarding MSW streams in developing nations. The MSW generation rate per capita in developing countries is generally said to grow in proportion to the GNP. However, the findings of this research show no correlation between the two; instead, there is a relationship between the GNP and the collection rate. To formulate proper future MSW management plans in countries with low collection rates, it is very important to forecast the rates of self-disposed and recycled waste, and their fluctuations. These are affected by urban structure, collection services, etc.