Carbon footprint assessment of municipal solid waste management systems: scenario analysis for a metropolitan city in India

Abstract

The fast urbanization and consumption patterns are drastically changing leading to a marked increase in municipal solid waste (MSW) produced in developing countries, which eventually raises the environmental and climate issues. Our research focuses on analyses of greenhouse gas emissions from municipal solid waste management in Hyderabad, India, adopting an IPCC-based carbon footprint method. The city produces about 5,500 tonnes of waste each day, with biodegradable material being the largest component. The emissions from collection, transport, recycling, composting, waste-to-energy, and landfilling were recorded. Four management options were evaluated, including the current system, enhanced recycling, improved organic waste treatment, and an integrated low-carbon approach. Results suggest that landfill disposal is the significant source of emissions in general, accounting for approximately 85% of total emissions. The current system produces an annual emissions of around 1.35 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent. Based on scenario analysis, an enhanced recycling and composting system was able to achieve reductions of 32 percent and an integrated system less dependent on landfills helped realize reductions of up to 58 percent. This study shows the significance of segregation of waste sources and resource recovery in managing waste for a sustainable, climate-resilient future.