Integrated Solid Waste Management


  • The goal of a Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) for solid waste is to be able to, as accurately as possible, predict the environmental burdens of an Integrated Waste Management system.
    The hierarchy has little scientific or technical basis. There is no scientific reason, for example, why materials recycling should always be preferred to energy recovery.
    The hierarchy is of little use when a combination of options is used, as in an IWM system. In an IWM system, the hierarchy cannot predict, for example, whether composting combined with incineration of the residues would be preferable to materials recycling plus landfilling of residues. What is needed is an overall assessment of the whole system, which the hierarchy cannot provide.
    The hierarchy does not address costs. Therefore it cannot help assess the economic affordability of waste systems.

    back to top
     
     
  • Effective schemes need the flexibility to design, adapt and operate systems in ways which best meet current social, economic and environmental conditions. These are likely to change over time and vary by geography. 
    The need for consistency in quality and quantity of recycled materials, compost or energy, the need to support a range of disposal options and the benefit of economies of scale, all suggest that integrated waste management should be organized on a large-scale, regional basis. 
    Any scheme incorporating recycling, composting or waste-to-energy technologies must be market-orientated. There must be markets for products and energy. 

    • back to top
     
  •  

    The IWM model looks at the life cycle of municipal solid waste, from the moment it becomes waste (loses value) until it ceases to be waste by becoming a useful product, residual landfill material or an emission to air or water.

    The inputs for an integrated waste management system are waste, energy and other raw materials. The outputs from the system are useful products in the form of reclaimed materials, compost, emissions to air and water and residual landfill material. A parallel model calculates the overall costs of the integrated waste management system based on local cost data.

    Once the waste management system has been described, the inputs and outputs of each chosen treatment process must be calculated, using fixed data for each process. The lack of quality data is a recognised problem.

    Results are expressed as: net energy consumption, air emissions, water emissions, landfill volume, recovered materials and compost produced.


    back to top
  • Use the existing waste management strategy as the "Baseline scenario"
     
    Compare the performance of different IWM strategies
     
    Choose the optimum IWM strategy based on the needs of the local environment, economy and population
     
    LCI is a tool to help the waste management decision making process: it does not make the decisions.





    Download (IWM-2 computer model, 1.7 MB) Download (The manual for the model - PDF-format, 5.8 MB) Put into File Basket

    back to top
     
     
    Scientific publication authored or co-authored by P&G scientists
  • McDougall, F., and Fonteyne, J. (1999) Towards an integrated approach to waste management - the lessons learned from case studies of European waste management systems. International Directory of Solid Waste Management 1999/2000. The ISWA Yearbook. p. 16-26. Pub. James & James Ltd. London.
     
    McDougall, F. (2000) LCA supports integrated approach to solid waste management systems. Local Authority Waste & Environment. Vol.8 Issue 5, pp. 10-11.
     
    McDougall, F., and Hruska, J.P. (2000). The use of Life Cycle Inventory tools to support an integrated approach to solid waste management. Waste Management & Research. Vol. 18, No.6 pp. 590-594.
     
    Davison, S., Bennett, P. and McDougall, F. (2000) Local authority decision making: LCI tools for solid waste management. Wastes Management. September 2000, pp.17-20.
     
    ORyu, Y.K., McDougall, F.R., Peng, C-G., Arakaki, T. and Ahn, J.W. (2000) Integrated Waste Management and the Tool of Life Cycle Inventory: A Route to Sustainable Waste Management for Asia .Korean Journal of LCA, Vol.2, No.2, pp. 41-48.
     
    McDougall, F. (2001) Life Cycle Tools for Integrated Waste Management systems. Warmer Bulletin, No. 76, p 4.
     
    Wilson, E., McDougall, F. and Willmore, J. (2001) Euro-trash: searching Europe for a more sustainable approach to waste management. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. Vol. 31, No. 4, pp327-346.
     
    McDougall, F. (2001) Life Cycle Inventory tools: supporting the development of sustainable solid waste management systems. Corporate Environmental Strategy, Vol. 8, No.2 , pp.142-147.
     
    McDougall, F., White, P., Franke, M., and Hindle, P., (2001) Integrated Solid Waste Management: a Life Cycle Inventory. Published by Blackwell Science, Oxford, UK. ISBN 0-632-05889-7. http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/book.asp?ref=0632058897
     
    McDougall, F. (2001) "Recycling is best" is not always true. Recycling International, May 2001, No. 4. p. 3.
     
    Nordone, A.J., White, P.R., McDougall, F.R., Parker, G.G, Garmendia, A-M. and Franke, M. (2002) Integrated Waste Management in Environmental And Ecological Sciences, Engineering And Technology Resources in Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS) Developed under the Auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). UNESCO, Eolss Publishers, Oxford ,UK, [http://www.eolss.net]
     
    McDougall, F., Thomas, B. and Dryer, A. (2002) Life Cycle Assessment for sustainable solid waste management -an introduction. Wastes Management, May 2002, pp. 43-45.
     
    McDougall, F. and Ryu, Y.K. (2002) The Role Of Landfill Within A Sustainable Solid Waste Management Strategy. Proceedings of the 2nd Asian Pacific Landfill Symposium. Seoul, Korea.
     
    McDougall, F. and Anderson, D. (2003) The Development Of More Sustainable Solid Waste Management Systems Using Life Cycle Tools Proceedings of International Solid Waste Association Annual Conference 2003, Melbourne, Australia.

    back to top
     Definition of Life Cycle Assessment LCIA Case Studies