Municipal Solid Waste Management Problem Research Articles

Effects of socio-economic status and daily variation on municipal solid waste composition: a preliminary analysis for sustainable planning and development in Aligarh City.

In the context of developing countries such as India, with great differences in people's living standards and different communities, municipal solid waste (MSW) management is one of the most promising problems in front of municipal organizations. Unlike every city in India, Aligarh City also faces the same problem of municipal solid waste management. This problem not only affects the esthetic view but is also hazardous to people nearby health. Currently, solid waste collected is either dumped in landfill unscientifically or partially treated by A to Z waste management (limited) by composting. In the present study, an effort was made to know about the per capita waste generation and variations in the quantity of different components of the MSW in five different regions of the city with dissimilar living standards. Also, weekly variation was analyzed in the study. One-way ANOVA analysis using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences is performed to investigate the variations in the mean composition of different components. The per capita solid waste generation in Aligarh City was found to be 0.42 kg/person/day. From the analysis, we came to know that compostable component (35.4%) is the highest, then inert (24.6%), plastic (12.2%), paper (10%), textile (9.2%), and sand (8.6%). After analysis, the results can help sort out the problem of MSW management in the city by selecting appropriate units as per the composition of MSW.

Torrefaction of plastics and food waste for biofuel production

Torrefaction can be considered a promising method to treat municipal solid waste (MSW) which not only solves the MSW management problem but also produces a solid product that has the potential to be used as fuel. This study aimed to examine the char properties and quantities from torrefaction of MSW (particularly plastic waste categorised as LDPE and PET, and kitchen waste) as well as the effects of process temperature on char products. Approximately 150 g of feedstock was placed inside the reactor for each torrefaction experiment with different temperatures (175, 200, and 225 °C). Torrefaction at 225 °C increased the higher heating values (HHV) of LDPE and PET, from 19.17 to 24.50 MJ/kg, while the HHV of food waste increased from 11.18 to 17.04 MJ/kg. Besides the char product, torrefaction of LDPE and PET at the temperature of 225 °C produced liquid products with HHV up to 34 MJ/kg. The char yield after the torrefaction of plastics (LDPE and PET) and food waste at a temperature of 225 °C were 14.77% and 30.03%, respectively.

Crisp and fuzzy optimization models for sustainable municipal solid waste management

Increasing municipal solid waste (MSW) generation in the city has caused a serious problem to the authority, especially for emerging countries. Improper management of MSW will increase greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Apart from landfill, there are other options to convert MSW into valuable products or energy, such as recycling and incineration. This paper presents crisp and fuzzy optimization models for designing optimal supply chain networks for sustainable MSW management, considering economic (cost minimization) and environmental objectives (emissions reduction). The crisp model is based on a superstructure and consists of material balances, capacity limits and planning constraints for MSW transfer stations, disposal sites and treatment technologies. Fuzzy optimization with max-min aggregation is then incorporated to handle conflicting economic and environmental objectives, as well as uncertainties in GHG emission factors and cost coefficients of MSW treatment. A case study for the design of an optimal MSW supply chain network in the city of Qingdao, China is presented to illustrate the proposed approach. The conflicting objectives of minimizing the total net cost and GHG emissions for MSW transport and treatment are analyzed using the crisp model, yielding a set of Pareto optimal solutions. A compromise solution achieving a 21.6% cost reduction and a 28.4% emissions reduction is identified using the fuzzy model. An inferior solution is also found with smaller cost (19.1%) and emissions reductions (25.1%) due to the use of conservative estimates of uncertain cost coefficients and emission factors. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed models in dealing with the MSW management problem.

A hybrid fuzzy decision making approach for sitting a solid waste energy production plant

The rapid and uncontrolled growth of the world's population technological developments, increase in the social welfare and the transformation of societies into consumer societies have changed the dimensions of environmental problems. Nowadays waste management has become an important issue for the solution of environmental problems. Hence, we discussed the municipal solid waste management. Municipal solid waste management problem is a complex and it has many different aspects as political, social, technological and economical criteria have to consider. The evaluation of these criteria numerically is complicated and vague. This paper deals with this complexity by proposed methodology. Also the contribution of the article to the literature is that the proposed methodology is applied for the first time in municipal solid waste management problems. In this paper, two fuzzy decision making approaches are combined for sitting a waste to energy plant in the Kırıkkale in Turkey. Four alternative locations and nine criteria are defined from the expert opinions and the literature survey. A new hybrid methodology that has not been applied before for this decision problem is proposed. In proposed methodology, there are two main stages. Criteria weights determination is the first stage, and ranking of the alternative locations is the second stage of the methodology. In first stage, Interval type 2 Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy process method is performed and in the second stage hesitant fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution method is used for ranking the alternative locations. Also decision makers have different experience level and knowledge about the problem and different decision makers’ weights are considered for group decision making. Two fuzzy methods are combined for the solid waste energy production plant location selection problem. As a result of the study, the second alternative (Bahsılı-Bedesten) is determined as the most suitable area for waste to energy production plant. Besides, with scenario analysis the effect of criteria on ranking of the alternatives is analyzed.

Municipal Solid Waste Management Policies, Practices, and Challenges in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review

Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) affects several spheres, including environmental, social, and economic activities. In Ethiopia, massive waste generation and unbalanced management have worsened the issue. Hence, this systematic review investigates the Ethiopian MSWM policy and legal frameworks, practices, and challenges. The Scopus and Web of Science databases and Google Scholar were used to search published and unpublished studies from 2005 to 2021, and a website search was used to find studies from 1995 to 2021. The search was restricted to the English language, and the last search was conducted on 25 June 2021. The study was extracted from the characteristics of the developed study. A risk of bias assessment was conducted for the included studies using the AMSTAR 2. Among the 1135 identified records, 72 studies were found to be eligible. This systematic review identified numerous legal frameworks that enhance the implementation of MSWM in Ethiopia, which is mainly focused on waste collection, transportation, and disposal. Lack of policy enforcement, weak capacity, public awareness, and minimal cooperation among stakeholders were the main challenges. MSWM problems in Ethiopia have seen an increase in recent decades and are affecting daily life. Therefore, these findings may help to improve MSWM in Ethiopia.

ENVIRONMENT-BASED DESIGN (EBD) APPROACH TO IDENTIFY CRITICAL ISSUES IN MANAGING MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE: NAIROBI, KENYAN CASE STUDY

Abstract. As the urban population grows and the global economy develops, municipal solid waste management (MSWM) has become an increasingly prominent global issue. MSWM is particularly difficult in developing countries due to its high cost and time-consuming nature. The Environment-based design (EBD) can potentially contribute to global MSWM by reducing costs and increasing efficiency, especially in helping developing countries identify critical issues in MSWM. This paper uses and demonstrates the effectiveness and efficiency of the EBD method to analyze and identify critical issues in MSWM, using the city of Nairobi as a case study. This paper contains the first two of EBD's three activities: environment analysis and conflict identification, during the design problem period, design knowledge, and design solutions simultaneously and interdependently evolve as a part of the environment. The comparison with the existing literature confirms that the conclusions reached are, to some extent, reliable, time-saving, and less costly, which will offer a possibility to solve the problem of MSWM in impoverished areas.

A societal transition of MSW management in Xiamen (China) toward a circular economy through integrated waste recycling and technological digitization

Recently Xiamen (China) has encountered various challenges of municipal solid waste management (MSWM) such as lack of a complete garbage sorting and recycling system, the absence of waste segregation between organic and dry waste at source, and a shortage of complete and clear information about the MSW generated. This article critically analyzes the existing bottlenecks in its waste management system and discusses the way forward for the city to enhance its MSWM by drawing lessons from Hong Kong's effectiveness in dealing with the same problems over the past decades. Solutions to the MSWM problem are not only limited to technological options, but also integrate environmental, legal, and institutional perspectives. The solutions include (1) enhancing source separation and improving recycling system; (2) improving the legislation system of the MSWM; (3) improvement of terminal disposal facilities in the city; (4) incorporating digitization into MSWM; and (5) establishing standards and definitions for recycled products and/or recyclable materials. We also evaluate and compare different aspects of MSWM in Xiamen and Hong Kong SAR (special administrative region) under the framework of 'One Country, Two Systems' concerning environmental policies, generation, composition, characteristics, treatment, and disposal of their MSW. The nexus of society, economics of the MSW, and the environment in the sustainability sphere are established by promoting local recycling industries and the standardization of recycled products and/or recyclable materials. The roles of digitization technologies in the 4th Industrial Revolution for waste reduction in the framework of circular economy (CE) are also elaborated. This technological solution may improve the city's MSWM in terms of public participation in MSW separation through reduction, recycle, reuse, recovery, and repair (5Rs) schemes. To meet top-down policy goals such as a 35% recycling rate for the generated waste by 2030, incorporating digitization into the MSWM provides the city with technology-driven waste solutions.

Economic analysis of waste-to-energy investment in the Philippines: A real options approach

Waste-to-energy technologies start to gain the attention of developing countries as a sustainable energy source in response to the worsening municipal solid waste management problem. This paper proposes an investment model to analyze the economic feasibility of waste-to-energy projects in developing countries using the Philippines as a case study. Applying the real options approach under uncertainty, we compare the option values, the value of waiting, and the optimal timing of switching technologies from landfill to waste-to-energy. Considering the energy production and investment costs, the optimization results find that incineration, with an optimal electricity price of USD 3cents/KWH, is the best technology option followed by gasification and pyrolysis at USD 7cents/KWH and USD 12cents/KWH, respectively. At the current price of electricity of USD 11cents/KWH, it is more optimal to postpone investment in pyrolysis, otherwise, the tipping should be increased from USD 15/ton to USD 18.5/ton to make pyrolysis a more viable option than continue using the landfill. On the other hand, it is a more optimal decision to invest immediately in either incineration or gasification as delaying investment incurs opportunity losses from generating electricity from these technologies. Furthermore, the paper suggests that the government must support waste-to-energy program as it will significantly contribute in solving the problems on the environment particularly air quality and waste management as well as on energy security and sustainability.

Key informants’ perspectives on the challenges of municipal solid waste management in Iran: a mixed method study

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.

Qualitative and quantitative characterization of municipal solid waste and the unexploited potential of green energy in Tunisia

Municipal solid waste management (MSWM) is one of the major environmental issues in Tunisian cities. Rapid growth in urbanization and population rates and the changes in people’s lifestyle have prompted a dramatic increase quantity and a significant shift in the composition of municipal solid waste. There is insufficient data concerning the quantities and the composition of waste streams along with the absence of a comprehensive complete overview and a wider perspective of MSWM potential that provides detailed information at region and city level. As a result, it is still impossible for the scientific community and the authorities to provide synergetic schemes to tie the problems of MSWM with how to integrate economically feasible and environmentally sustainable practices holistically. In the present study, an attempt has been made to provide a comprehensive overview of MSW, through a qualitative (compositional) and quantitative (parametric) characterization of the generated total waste generated in Tunisian cities. A 1-year research survey was conducted in seven regions in Tunisia (Great Tunis, Northeast, Northwest, Midwest, Mideast, Southwest, and Southeast) that cover the 24 provinces of the country. Collected samples revealed that the distribution of waste by region was defined by the region’s demographic, economic, and industrial status. Approaches of possibly more efficient procedures that can be undertaken to improve MSW collection are discussed. At a final stage and based on the potential of biogas calculated in the seven regions, we suggest that the scientific community and the authorities should introduce applicable schemes to valorize MSW through generating biogas as a renewable energy.

Экологический активизм в цифровой среде как инструмент влияния на государственные решения

Рассмотрены ведущие коммуникативные стратегии экологических организаций и отдельных экологических активистов, используемые в цифровых медиаформатах, а также результаты данной коммуникационной активности. Проанализирован контент общественно-политических федеральных СМИ различной политической направленности (имеющие в цифровой среде более 100 тысяч читателей) и постоянно обновляемые цифровые каналы информации экологической направленности (сайты организаций, аккаунты в социальных сетях), имеющие более тысячи подписчиков. Анализ показал: в России сформировался экологический медиадискурс, экологические организации и движения стали заметной силой, влияющей на формирование общественного мнения. Выделены три тематические доминанты: «мусорная» проблема, обращение людей с животными и причинение человеком вреда окружающей среде.
 Проанализирована результативность работы экологов в законодательном поле и статистика законодательной деятельности парламента в отрасли "Природные ресурсы и охрана окружающей природной среды»", начиная с 2000 г. Рассмотрены наиболее яркие случаи работы экологических активистов с конкретными законодательными инициативами: законопроекты “Об ответственном обращении с животными и о внесении изменений в отдельные законодательные акты Российской Федерации», “О запрете контроля качества парфюмерно-косметической продукции и ее ингредиентов на животных”, О проведении эксперимента по квотированию выбросов загрязняющих веществ и внесении изменений в отдельные законодательные акты Российской Федерации в части снижения загрязнения атмосферного воздуха”, а также инициативы в области обращения с твердыми коммунальными отходами (т.н. «мусорная» проблема).
 Благодарность. Статья подготовлена по результатам исследований, выполненных за счет бюджетных средств по государственному заданию Финуниверситету.

FCVLP: A Fuzzy Random Conditional Value-at-Risk-Based Linear Programming Model for Municipal Solid Waste Management

A fuzzy random conditional value-at-risk-based linear programming (FCVLP) model was proposed in this study for dealing with municipal solid waste (MSW) management problems under uncertainty. FCVLP improves upon the existing fuzzy linear programming and fuzzy random conditional value-at-risk methods by allowing analysis of the risks of violating constraints that contain fuzzy parameters. A long-term MSW management problem was used to illustrate the applicability of FCVLP. The optimal feasibility solutions under various significance risk levels could be generated in order to analysis the trade-offs among the system cost, the feasibility degree of capacity constraints, and the risk level of waste-disposal-demand constraints. The results demonstrated that (1) a lower system cost may lead to a lower feasibility of waste-facility-capacity constraint and a higher risk of waste-disposal-demand constraint; (2) effects on system cost from vague information in incinerator capacity inputs would be greater than those in landfill capacity inputs; (3) the total allowable waste allocation would vary significantly because of the variations of risk levels and feasibility degrees. The proposed FCVLP method could be used to identify optimal waste allocation scenarios associated with a variety of complexities in MSW management systems.

Selection of the Best Solid waste Management Yaounde using an Analytical Hierarchy Process

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.

Municipal Solid Waste Disposal Site Selection in Jacobabad Using RS/GIS Techniques

Solid waste management is a worldwide concern, particularly in the developing countries. The solid waste disposal and landfill site management is a serious issue. City planners and municipal corporations have to confront with the problem of Municipal Solid Waste Management all over the world, especially in the developing countries. Population growth is responsible for an increase in residential, commercial and infrastructure development, which poses adverse effects on the environment. One of the most serious and challenging environmental challenge being faced by the municipal corporations of developing countries is urban solid waste management. Dumping of municipal waste in unsuitable areas poses serious challenges to the local habitants of the neighborhood. Municipal solid waste, if not properly managed, is one of the major environmental issues that could further lead to different diseases’ transmission, aesthetic and odor nuisance, and atmospheric and water pollution, etc. This paper aims to deal with the selection of suitable site for disposing off municipal solid waste management being produced at the Jacobabad City using Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing techniques. In the Jacobabad City, the existing open dumping systems are not environmentally sound posing serious environmental threats. Loads of generated waste (about 64 tons/day as per 2012 estimates) has been dumped into the inappropriate sites. Keeping in view the complicated process of landfill site, this study considers all the environmental, social and technical factors (distances from residences, proximity to road networks, schools, health facilities and reservoirs) to determine the best site for Municipal Solid Waste disposal in Jacobabad City. Different analysis like buffer analysis, Euclidean distance and overlay analysis were also performed in this study to come up with the most suitable landfill site.

Multi-objective municipal solid waste management recycling problem in fuzzy-rough environment

In municipal solid waste (MSW) management, not only economic objectives but also environmental objectives are considered simultaneously. In this paper, a fuzzy rough (Fu-Ro) multi-objective municipal solid waste management problem (MMSWMP) is developed for supporting MSW management, associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emission control and recycling. Here, for the first time, three conflicting objectives are integrally considered, including minimisation of total system cost, minimisation of total GHG emissions from waste management facilities and maximisation of total revenue. The present MMSWMP improves upon the existing single or double objectives waste management optimisation models. Here imprecise cost parameters of the models are expressed as Fu-Ro variables. Some constraints of the system are expressed as chance constraints and Fu-Ro constraints. Multi-objective problem is transformed to single objective one through incorporation of fuzzy satisfying technique. Then it is solved as a general mixed-integer single-objective linear programming problem using a gradient-based optimisation technique - generalised reduced gradient method (Lingo-14.0). Representing different preferences of the decision makers for economic development and environmental-impact, four different planning models are formulated, solved, analysed and compared. The models are numerically illustrated and some sensitivity analysis are presented.

Characterisation and management of municipal solid waste in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India

Fast economic growth, escalating population levels and growth in the living standards of communities increases the rate of generation of municipal solid waste (MSW) in Indian cities. Inappropriate MSW management causes hazards to the inhabitants. The aim of the present study is to determine the characteristics of MSW (both qualitatively and quantitatively) along with other basic information and to generate geographical information system (GIS) maps for Bhopal city. The data have been collected from the joint project conducted by Madhya Pradesh Urban Infrastructure Institution Project and Bhopal Municipal Corporation and analysed to determine the characteristics of MSW. The GIS has been used to digitise the existing ward boundaries along with the roads of Bhopal and to enter the secondary data about the wards. The total quantity of MSW has been reported as 800 t/d, and the average generation rate of MSW has been estimated as 0·41 kg/(c/d). ArcGIS was used to generate maps and to extract efficient information concerning different parameters of the MSW management problem such as generation rate of MSW in different wards and the specific reasons behind the information were analysed.

Multi-criteria analysis for municipal solid waste management in a Brazilian metropolitan area.

The decision-making process involved in municipal solid waste management (MSWM) must consider more than just financial aspects, which makes it a difficult task in developing countries. The Recife Metropolitan Region (RMR) in the Northeast of Brazil faces a MSWM problem that has been ongoing since the 1970s, with no common solution. In order to direct short-term solutions, three MSWM alternatives were outlined for the RMR, considering the current and future situations, the time and cost involved and social/environmental criteria. A multi-criteria approach, based on the Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluations (PROMETHEE), was proposed to rank these alternatives. The alternative that included two private landfill sites and seven transfer, sorting and composting stations was confirmed as the most suitable and stable option for short-term MSWM, considering the two scenarios for the criteria weights. Sensitivity analysis was also performed to support the robustness of the results. The implementation of separate collections would minimize the amount of waste buried, while maximizing the useful life of landfill sites and increasing the timeframe of the alternative. Overall, the multi-criteria analysis was helpful and accurate during the alternative selection process, considering the similarities and restrictions of each option, which can lead to difficulties during the decision-making process.

Optimal control of greenhouse gas emissions and system cost for integrated municipal solid waste management with considering a hierarchical structure.

This study presents a synergic optimization of control for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and system cost in integrated municipal solid waste (MSW) management on a basis of bi-level programming. The bi-level programming is formulated by integrating minimizations of GHG emissions at the leader level and system cost at the follower level into a general MSW framework. Different from traditional single- or multi-objective approaches, the proposed bi-level programming is capable of not only addressing the tradeoffs but also dealing with the leader-follower relationship between different decision makers, who have dissimilar perspectives interests. GHG emission control is placed at the leader level could emphasize the significant environmental concern in MSW management. A bi-level decision-making process based on satisfactory degree is then suitable for solving highly nonlinear problems with computationally effectiveness. The capabilities and effectiveness of the proposed bi-level programming are illustrated by an application of a MSW management problem in Canada. Results show that the obtained optimal management strategy can bring considerable revenues, approximately from 76 to 97 million dollars. Considering control of GHG emissions, it would give priority to the development of the recycling facility throughout the whole period, especially in latter periods. In terms of capacity, the existing landfill is enough in the future 30 years without development of new landfills, while expansion to the composting and recycling facilities should be paid more attention.

A fuzzy chance-constrained programming model with type 1 and type 2 fuzzy sets for solid waste management under uncertainty

ABSTRACTEffective management of municipal solid waste (MSW) is critical for urban planning and development. This study aims to develop an integrated type 1 and type 2 fuzzy sets chance-constrained programming (ITFCCP) model for tackling regional MSW management problem under a fuzzy environment, where waste generation amounts are supposed to be type 2 fuzzy variables and treated capacities of facilities are assumed to be type 1 fuzzy variables. The evaluation and expression of uncertainty overcome the drawbacks in describing fuzzy possibility distributions as oversimplified forms. The fuzzy constraints are converted to their crisp equivalents through chance-constrained programming under the same or different confidence levels. Regional waste management of the City of Dalian, China, was used as a case study for demonstration. The solutions under various confidence levels reflect the trade-off between system economy and reliability. It is concluded that the ITFCCP model is capable of helping decision makers to generate reasonable waste-allocation alternatives under uncertainties.

Integrated solid waste management in megacities

Rapid urbanization and industrialization, population growth and economic growth in developing countries make management of municipal solid waste more complex comparing with developed countries. Furthermore, the conventional municipal solid waste management approach often is reductionists, not tailored to handle complexity. Therefore, the need to a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary approach regarding the municipal solid waste management problems is increasing. The concept of integrated solid waste management is accepted for this aim all over the world. This paper analyzes the current situation as well as opportunities and challenges regarding municipal solid waste management in Isfahan according to the integrated solid waste management framework in six aspects: environmental, political/legal, institutional, socio-cultural, financial/economic, technical and performance aspects. Based on the results obtained in this analysis, the main suggestions for future integrated solid waste management of Isfahan are as i) promoting financial sustainability by taking the solid waste fee and reducing the expenses through the promoting source collection of recyclable materials, ii) improving compost quality and also marketing the compost products simultaneously, iii) promoting the private sector involvements throughout the municipal solid waste management system.