To reduce adverse environmental impact, municipal solid waste management (MSWM) practices in developed countries are adopted in developing countries without fully considering several locality-specific issues that may hinder the full implementation of these projects. This article illustrates the current and future municipal solid waste management systems in Davao City set in years 2017 and 2027 respectfully, which will involve both new and old infrastructure (e.g. current and proposed landfill systems, proposed incineration facility) and local practices (e.g. segregation systems and the participation of members of the informal waste sector). The waste flow under the two systems were illustrated and their performance were compared in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. Results indicate that the proposed system positively affects the environment compared to the current system, due to additional  treatment options. However, the main allocation concern transitions from organic waste in the current system to plastic waste in the future scenario. Several issues that could interfere with the proper functioning of the future system were identified. Through sensitivity and scenario analysis, several 2027 scenarios were evaluated in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, energy and revenue generated, and the amount of landfill waste. The results show that the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and the extension of landfill life will be influenced by trade-offs between segregation operations and the management of incinerated wastes with high calorific values. Hence, plastic-waste-specific treatment options must be prioritized in future MSWM systems. These results emphasize the need for MSWM systems to be designed considering local conditions.

Read the full article: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/4/2419