Comparative life cycle analysis of municipal waste management systems: Kırklareli/Turkey case study

Waste-to-energy approaches are becoming increasingly important around the world, and municipal solid waste (MSW) as a renewable and sustainable energy source is of great importance to be considered in preventing climate change. On the other hand, since uncontrolled MSW is a threat to the environment and human health, sustainable municipal solid waste management should be evaluated to reduce negative environmental impacts. In this study, various municipal solid waste management options having energy production were selected and analysed by using SimaPro 9.0.0.49 to determine the most environmentally friendly waste management system. One-ton MSW in Kırklareli/Turkey was chosen as the functional unit. Environmental impacts were calculated via the CLM-IA method; impact groups were abiotic depletion, abiotic depletion (fossil fuels), global warming, ozone layer depletion, human toxicity, freshwater, marine and terrestrial ecotoxicities, photochemical oxidation, acidification and eutrophication. The first results indicated that energy recovery reduces the environmental impacts and future waste management plant of Kırklareli (material separation for recycling, biomethanisation and landfilling) is the best option within the scope of the environment at present.