Environmental Impacts of Different Municipal Solid Waste Systems in Xicheng, Beijing with a Life Cycle Assessment Model—EASEWASTE

摘要

The aim of this study is to assess the environmental impacts and benefits from municipal solid waste management systems in Xicheng district in Beijing. EASEWASTE, a life-cycle-based model, was used to evaluate different levels of the waste systems, including waste generation, collection, transportation, treatment and disposal technologies. Three integrated models were established according to the current and modified solid waste systems in Xicheng district. The investigation on the current waste system showed that, long distance transportation brought many impacts to photochemical ozone formation, acidification and global warming due to the fuel combustion during transportation. Furthermore, the methane emission from landfill was the dominate contributor to photochemical ozone formation and global warming. Introduction of a large transfer station could reduce the fuel consumption of transportation. The modified system where source separation of food waste was introduced and the remaining waste was assumed to be incinerated was then modeled. The results presented a significant improvement on photochemical ozone formation and global warming, which benefited from efficient incineration with energy recover. LCA methodology and a model like EASEWASTE were thus proven suitable for evaluating the environmental consequences and supporting the strategic decision making on municipal solid waste system.