Low-Carbon Waste Management

Abstract

Waste management is a significant source of urban GHG emissions, with inventories suggesting that it contributes 5 % of the total, on average. Landfills are the dominant source of urban waste GHG emissions, due to their production of methane from the degradation of organic waste. A number of management strategies (e.g., LFG collection, oxidizing covering materials) can be implemented to reduce emissions from landfill operations. Organic waste can also be diverted to other treatment options (composting, anaerobic digesters) that reduce both direct process emissions and indirect emissions through the use of coproducts such as energy and soil amendments. Thermal management practices provide co-benefits such as improved material recovery and energy services, while studies of health implications have generally been inconclusive or have demonstrated no convincing evidence to directly link these treatment approaches with health outcomes. “Three R” approaches to waste management have additional benefits outside the recovery of valuable materials (e.g., aluminum, steel), in that they also can provide a significant indirect emission savings. Further to waste management infrastructure, systemic approaches, such as extended producer responsibility and product service systems, should be employed to shift waste mitigation incentives from cities to manufacturers towards higher diversion rates.