Policy-driven municipal solid waste management assessment using relative quadrant eco-efficiency: A case study in...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Waste Management
• Eco-efficiency Analysis

Background:

• Municipal waste management faces challenges in developing countries due to inadequate planning and policy integration.
• Sustainable waste management requires localized policy-driven scenarios to assess eco-efficiency impacts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and apply a relative quadrant life cycle eco-efficiency indicator for evaluating waste treatment scenarios in Malaysia.
• To assess the environmental and economic viability of various waste management strategies aligned with policy targets.

Main Methods:

• Development of a novel relative quadrant life cycle eco-efficiency indicator.
• Design and comparative analysis of multiple waste treatment scenarios (S1-S6, NS1-NS4) based on Malaysian policy.
• Sensitivity and comparative analyses to evaluate eco-efficiency and economic viability.

Main Results:

• Scenarios S5 and S6, featuring 40% recycling, showed 32.9-33.6 times greater environmental favorability and 10-20% economic improvement over the business-as-usual scenario.
• Zero waste to landfill scenarios (NS1-NS4) indicate potential for incineration or material recovery, with NS3 suggesting 33% incineration capacity.
• Home or centralized windrow composting and increased Feed-in Tariff rates are recommended for enhanced eco-efficiency.

Conclusions:

• Policy-driven waste management scenarios are crucial for improving eco-efficiency.
• Achieving higher recycling rates and adopting advanced treatment methods like anaerobic digestion and incineration are key strategies.
• Policy recommendations include promoting composting and adjusting financial incentives to support sustainable waste management.