The management of municipal solid waste and the associated environmental and social impacts are subject of growing attention in industrialized countries. The decreasing land availability for waste disposal sites and the changing waste composition increase the urgency for finding a sustainable solution to the waste issue. Then, the role of separate collection is fundamental. Anyway, recent researches have shown that a rate of material recycling beyond 50% implies higher costs. Therefore, a more sustainable Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management system should integrate various technologies and provide for uncertainties that may exist. In literature, many studies have been conducted to this purpose but, sometimes, they don’t adequately cover all the variables that can affect the object of study. The paper aims to make clear on the sustainability – triple bottom line sustainability - of waste management alternatives through a deep systematic review of national and international literature on waste management systems empirical studies. Main findings proved that technologies and different forms of exploitation of waste can be properly compared after introducing some correctives such the scarcity value of landfill and the commensurate level of material recycling
A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF LIFE CYCLE THINKING APPLIED MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE (msw) MANAGEMENT
TARABELLA, ANGELA;
2011-01-01
Abstract
The management of municipal solid waste and the associated environmental and social impacts are subject of growing attention in industrialized countries. The decreasing land availability for waste disposal sites and the changing waste composition increase the urgency for finding a sustainable solution to the waste issue. Then, the role of separate collection is fundamental. Anyway, recent researches have shown that a rate of material recycling beyond 50% implies higher costs. Therefore, a more sustainable Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management system should integrate various technologies and provide for uncertainties that may exist. In literature, many studies have been conducted to this purpose but, sometimes, they don’t adequately cover all the variables that can affect the object of study. The paper aims to make clear on the sustainability – triple bottom line sustainability - of waste management alternatives through a deep systematic review of national and international literature on waste management systems empirical studies. Main findings proved that technologies and different forms of exploitation of waste can be properly compared after introducing some correctives such the scarcity value of landfill and the commensurate level of material recyclingI documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.