Environmental Impacts of Waste Management Strategies

When deciding on a waste management strategy, the level of social involvement, nature and amount of waste to be handled matter, two case studies in Ireland and the USA show.

Two case studies of waste management, in two different countries, were examined by Task 36 (Material and Energy Valorisation of Waste in a Circular Economy) in order to determine how in these cases particular waste challenges are tackled, given different local conditions and technical and environmental policies in place.

The environmental impacts of waste management strategies vary significantly depending on the methods employed, ranging from waste prevention to disposal, and the existing waste management strategy which is being upgraded. Selecting efficient waste management strategies is key for minimizing the environmental impact and resource conservation while bringing value to the communities where they are developed. Factors that need to be considered in the decision-making process include the nature and amount of the waste to be handled, resources and technology availability, current and future policy, and environmental, societal and economic aspects. In other words, decision-makers need to take a regional approach when developing waste management strategies. An important premise is that local conditions are important and no one-size-fits-all exists.

The following two case studies were analyses:

• The Waste-to-Energy facility Invader Ltd. in Meath, Ireland, EU, starting operation in 2011 and able to proces 235 thousand tonnes of municipal waste per year, preventing it from  the need to landfill. With the generated electricity (18 MW capacity) fossil based electricity generation is avoided, providing environmental benefits of lowering the carbon intensity of electricity. Recovered metals in the waste management process lead to increased recycling, preventing virgin use od such metals
• Renewable Eneegy & Urban Agriculture Campus Green Era, in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The Green Era is a local hub for renewable energy generation, urban farming and community programming and education. Its anaerobic digestor can process 80 thousand tons of food waste per year, collected from restaurants, food companies, manufacturers and residents. Next to prevention of landfilling the energy from biogas prevents up to 43 thousand tons of avoided CO2-emissions. This particular project had a priority on community involvement.