Municipal Waste Management System Research Articles

Economic assessment of municipal waste management systems—case studies using a combination of life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC)

This paper examines some possibilities and limitations of linking economic information to an life cycle assessment, LCA, when studying municipal waste management systems. A terminology and methodology for economic assessment of municipal waste management systems is proposed and tested through a case study. The methodology consists of a financial LCC, life cycle costing, (which is used in parallel with an LCA) and an environmental LCC (functioning as a consecutive, weighting tool). In the case study, the financial LCC covers all the costs incurred by the extended waste management system, as though the LCA system was a single economic actor. The environmental LCC uses three different weighting methods to monetarise environmental effects such as emissions and resource use. As both LCCs use the same unit of account, they can easily be added together to a welfare economic tool. This step-by-step aggregation leads to a transparent, reproducible analysis method. A conclusion is that the methodology facilitates the analysis, but that problems remain as municipal waste management often diverge from existing economic systems.

Economic insight into municipal solid waste management in Mumbai: a critical analysis

Mumbai generates 6256 tonnes of waste every day, of which 17.20% is recyclable, but only a fraction of this is retrieved by rag-pickers. The economic value of the retrieved material is not considered by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai in valuing the waste management system as there is no retrieval mechanism except the informal rag-picking activity. Moreover, the cost of land used for the dumping of waste is also not accounted for. In the present paper, a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis for the present system of municipal solid waste management in Mumbai is carried out, with due consideration for implicit or hidden costs and benefits. Accounting for the implicit costs and benefits showed a difference of $6 per every tonne of waste disposal. This could show a considerable difference in policy development at the municipality level. Demand supply analysis proved that the present system of waste management would not yield a feasible market solution without private sector participation. With the increasing demand for improved waste management, private sector participation is essential and a Pigouvian tax is a necessary tool to make the private sector participation in solid waste management a success.

Managing municipal solid waste

This research aims to assess the environmental effects of integrated strategies in a municipal waste management system. In particular, analysis is focused on a waste stream in Palermo, where landfill involves the prompt disposal of the most waste after collection. The current local management system is compared with two integrated waste management alternatives. Both the options comply with Italian regulations, but each one predicts adopting the available technologies in different ways. Energetic and environmental balances are carried out in each management system referring to local waste composition in order to quantify energy consumption, the recovery of material and energy, and the environmental releases. Impact assessment is carried out to define the environmental profile of each option. Impact categories are defined and inventory data, by means of a suitable aggregation, can be used to evaluate the potential contribution that system inputs and outputs could bring to the relative category. In opposition to the current management, which involves energy balance at a loss, the mass and energy balances outcomes in both of the two hypothetical management systems show the capability to obtain energy and material recovery to a substantial extent. Sorted collection plays a remarkable role in the improvement of environmental performance of management systems. In particular, the thermal treatment of waste associated with energy recovery, and the concomitant material recycling, increase the saving of energy. Environmental pressure factors of the management system are assessed depending on the relevant consumption of raw materials and energy, and on the emission of pollutants. The resulting figures reflect the two different integrated management options as being sustainable solutions for achieving an improvement in environmental performance, which is based on increasing the value of waste, as an alternative to resources, and the reduction of environmental releases. Life Cycle Assessment of municipal waste management systems can be usefully applied to define synthetic indices of environmental impact. These indices could single out possible alternatives in multi-criteria analysis, together with economic and technical parameters.

The Spanish dioxin inventory Part I: incineration as municipal waste management system

The main objectives of the Spanish dioxin inventory and the incidence of municipal waste incinerators in the PCDD/Fs releases in the period from January 1997–November 1999 are presented. Preliminary data about the stack emission levels, fly ashes and slags as solid residues and the PCDD/Fs input in the USW are also presented to elaborate an initial balance for the incineration sector. A great decrease, from 20 to 1.2 g I-TEQ/y, from incineration gas emissions has been observed since 1996. The preliminary balance in the MWI sector suggests an overall PCDD/Fs destruction. The calculated emission factor, 1.06 μg I-TEQ/Mg, indicates a high quality of the air pollution control systems. The assumption of PCDD/Fs in the USW permits an initial evaluation of other waste management systems.

Studies on the evaluation of municipal waste management systems.

The municipal waste disposal system is at a turning point now, because full-scale efforts are demanded to approach the goal of 'the construction of a waste-recycling society'. An attempt was made to evaluate municipal solid waste management systems with easier indexes in the model area. This study includes two evaluation systems. One evaluation system (case 1) is based on the analysis of waste management costs. Different waste disposal systems can be easily evaluated by comparing the waste disposal costs associated with them. However, it seems risky to rate cities only by the results of an analysis of the waste disposal cost data, since the municipalities build, acquire or expand facilities independently from one another. The associated costs are not summed in a uniform way by all municipalities and for other reasons. The other evaluation system (case 2) is based on the 'amenity and comfort ranking of cities' (Keizai 1998). Judgment by one evaluation index alone for a waste disposal system seems risky since the data in that case are insufficient for proper evaluation of a city. Hence, it is desirable to use two or more indices representative of a future ideal system. The results of the study demonstrated that Toyo Keizai's method of 'amenity and comfort ranking of cities' is better than the method of comparing solid waste management costs.

An Interval-Parameter Fuzzy-Stochastic Programming Approach for Municipal Solid Waste Management and Planning

In this study, an integrated fuzzy-stochastic linear programming model is developed and applied to municipal solid waste management. Methods of chance-constrained programming and fuzzy linear programming are incorporated within a general interval-parameter mixed-integer linear programming framework. It improves upon the existing optimization methods with advantages in uncertainty reflection, data availability, and computational requirement. The model can be used for answering questions related to types, times and sites of solid waste management practices, with the objective of minimizing system costs over the planning horizon. The model can effectively reflect dynamic, interactive, and uncertain characteristics of municipal waste management systems. In its solution process, the model is transformed into two deterministic submodels, corresponding to upper and lower bounds of the desired objective function values under a given significance level, based on an interactive algorithm. Results of the method's application to a hypothetical case indicate that reasonable outputs have been obtained. It demonstrates the practical applicability of the proposed methodology.

Modelling national solid waste management

The MWS model (MIMES/Waste for Sweden) is a systems engineering model for strategic planning of national solid waste management systems. It was developed for Sweden, but the general approach can be applied to other countries as well. The MWS model integrates cost minimization and emissions accounting and is intended for evaluating, from economic and environmental points of view, waste treatment technologies and waste management policies. The potential users of the model are, e.g. government agencies, companies, trade associations and funding authorities. In the MWS model, the Swedish waste management system is represented by 10 generalized municipal waste management systems. The integration of the generalized systems into a national model allows an analysis on a national level as well as on a generalized municipal level. A case study of the Swedish solid waste management system illustrates the application of the MWS model.

Modelling national solid waste management

The MWS model (MIMES/Waste for Sweden) is a systems engineering model for strategic planning of national solid waste management systems. It was developed for Sweden, but the general approach can be applied to other countries as well. The MWS model integrates cost minimization and emissions accounting and is intended for evaluating, from economic and environmental points of view, waste treatment technologies and waste management policies. The potential users of the model are, e.g. government agencies, companies, trade associations and funding authorities. In the MWS model, the Swedish waste management system is represented by 10 generalized municipal waste management systems. The integration of the generalized systems into a national model allows an analysis on a national level as well as on a generalized municipal level. A case study of the Swedish solid waste management system illustrates the application of the MWS model.

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

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.

Effectiveness of Animal Waste Containment in a Texas Playa

Playas on the Southern High Plains are sites of active ground-water recharge to the Ogalalla aquifer and are used in agricultural and municipal waste management systems. The effectiveness of a playa for containing effluent from a commercial dairy operation was studied. Four drill core holes, positioned in the annulus and alternating wet and dry zones of a playa, provide surface and subsurface samples where dairy surface discharge enters the playa. Chemical and physical analyses performed on the core samples include nitrate-N, ammonium-N, pH, conductivity, and soil texture. Chloride distributions on two of the core profiles were compared to nitrate. Results indicate elevated nutrient levels in the top two meters of the heavy clay floor of the alternating wet and dry playa region, but not below that depth. A comparison of nitrate-N and chloride distribution suggests that denitrification processes probably eliminate most nitrate-N in this portion of the playa. This suggests that nitrate-N, once it reaches the central region of the playa, is contained long enough to denitrify. However, movement of nitrate-N is found at the playa annulus. Another concern arises with the transport of chloride from the playa as indicated by its distribution below the playa center.

LCA considerations of solid waste management alternatives for paper and plastics

Considering the social, cultural, economic and environmental structure, source-separated collection of recyclable packaging wastes has been a huge issue for cosmopolite cities like Istanbul. To provide an effective recycling system; all source separation, collection and recycling activities should be analyzed environmentally and socially. In the scope of this study, existing and alternative municipal packaging waste management systems are analyzed and compared in terms of environmental and social impacts. The research is mainly based on a long term site observation, data collection and existing system analysis. Environmental performances of alternative scenarios are calculated based on the existing system data, whereas more site observations and interviews with stakeholders are conducted for the determination of social impacts. In the analysis of both environmental and social impacts of the scenarios, life cycle assessment used as a methodological approach. Results of the study show that informal collection systems are environmentally more effective than the formal collection systems. Even the resource consumption is high in these systems; they are still environmentally beneficial because of the high material collection rate. On the other hand, social impact assessment results indicate that informal collection system has serious social disadvantages compared to the formal systems. And finally, it is found that environmental and social weaknesses of the system could be minimized with integrated system applications.

A systems approach to municipal solid waste management: A pilot study of Göteborg

The proposed systems approach to solid waste management consists of two parts, first, a comprehensive model, MIMES/WASTE (a Model for description and optimization of Integrated Material flows and Energy Systems), for analysing the technical properties of the waste management system, and second, procedures to make the model into an efficient tool in the planning process. The paper focuses on the first part by describing the model and the methodology for using it for broad scope technical analysis of the waste management system. A pilot study for the Göteborg region in Sweden, illustrating the methodology and the use of the model, is presented. The MIMES/WASTE model is a systems engineering tool for strategic planning of municipal waste management systems. The model provides a framework for consistent evaluation of: (i) a large number of feasible options for developing the system, (ii) the effects of uncertainties in the system environment and, (iii) various goals set up for the system (e.g. cost efficiency, environmental control, recycling, and energy production). Three modes of application are discussed: long-term planning; short-term planning; and consequence analysis.

A Systems Approach To Municipal Solid Waste Management: a Pilot Study of Goteborg

The proposed systems approach to solid waste management consists of two parts, first, a comprehensive model, MIMES/WASTE (a Model for description and optimization of Integrated Material flows and Energy Systems), for analysing the technical properties of the waste management system, and second, procedures to make the model into an efficient tool in the planning process. The paper focuses on the first part by describing the model and the methodology for using it for broad scope technical analysis of the waste management system. A pilot study for the Göteborg region in Sweden, illustrating the methodology and the use of the model, is presented. The MIMES/WASTE model is a systems engineering tool for strategic planning of municipal waste management systems. The model provides a framework for consistent evaluation of: (i) a large number of feasible options for developing the system, (ii) the effects of uncertainties in the system environment and, (iii) various goals set up for the system (e.g. cost efficiency, environmental control, recycling, and energy production). Three modes of application are discussed: long-term planning; short-term planning; and consequence analysis.

Determination Of Diversion Credits For By-product Reuse Activities

The concept of a diversion credit to encourage the use of products or services that have reusable by-products is introduced. A methodology is developed to assist municipal government authorities in determining an equitable level of compensation for business activities having by-product reuse, which results in reduced solid waste generation. The methodology is based on the quantities of solid waste diverted, such that the credit would be proportional to the costs that would have been incurred if by-product materials had been handled within the municipal waste management system. The methodology is applied to a hypothetical consumer products example.

Determination of Diversion Credits for By-Product Reuse Activities

The concept of a diversion credit to encourage the use of products or services that have reusable by-products is introduced. A methodology is developed to assist municipal government authorities in determining an equitable level of compensation for business activities having by-product reuse, which results in reduced solid waste generation. The methodology is based on the quantities of solid waste diverted, such that the credit would be proportional to the costs that would have been incurred if by-product materials had been handled within the municipal waste management system. The methodology is applied to a hypothetical consumer products example.