Cost estimation for solid waste management in industrialising regions--precedents, problems and prospects

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Environmental Management
• Waste Management

Background:

• Cost planning for solid waste management (SWM) is often undervalued in industrialising regions (IR).
• Existing cost estimation methods for SWM include unit cost, benchmarking, and cost modeling.
• Industrialised countries utilize advanced cost models, while IR primarily rely on simpler methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the importance of cost planning in SWM for industrialising regions.
• To review existing SWM cost estimation approaches and their applicability to IR.
• To identify challenges and propose modifications for SWM cost estimation in IR.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of SWM cost estimation techniques.
• Analysis of the applicability of unit cost, benchmarking, and cost modeling in IR.
• Identification of data availability and quality issues in IR for SWM cost estimation.

Main Results:

• Industrialising regions predominantly use unit cost and benchmarking methods for SWM cost estimation.
• Advanced cost models are underutilized in IR despite their potential benefits.
• Lack of cost data and poor data quality are significant barriers in IR.

Conclusions:

• Existing SWM cost estimation methods can be adapted for industrialising regions.
• Addressing data challenges is critical for effective SWM cost planning in IR.
• Improved cost planning offers practical benefits for managing critical waste problems with limited budgets in IR.