Life cycle assessment of existing and proposed municipal solid waste management system in Moscow

Abstract

The study assesses the life cycle of the MSW management system in Moscow. As of 1 January 2019, new requirements in the waste management field were introduced at the legislative level, and by 2020 the MSW separate collection system should be implemented in all cities of Russia. Based on the territorial scheme of Moscow waste management approved in December 2019, scenarios for MSW management in 2020 and 2024 and alternative scenarios with separate collection and treatment of biowaste were simulated in GaBi software. Environmental impacts were assessed in three impact categories: global warming potential, acidification potential and eutrophication potential. The impact greatest reduction on climate change occurs in the Scenario 2.2 with 20% decrease of landfilling, increase in waste incineration share and recycling rates of secondary resources with additional implementation of anaerobic digestion for biowaste treatment. In this Scenario, greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by 40%. The impact on acidification and eutrophication was reduced the most in Scenario 1, by 60-67%. The emission reduction potentials have been calculated for recyclable materials, the highest of which are metals and plastics, followed by paper, glass and biowaste.