Comparisons between global warming potential and cost–benefit criteria for optimal planning of a municipal solid waste management system

Most previous optimization analyses for both short-term and long-term planning for solid waste management (SWM) overlooked global warming potential (GWP) impacts. This study integrates GWP and cost–benefit criteria to carry out optimal planning of a typical SWM system – the borough of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. The GaBi® software package was used to estimate the possible greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions throughout the scenario-based design process. Five managerial scenarios were organized with and without the inclusion of GWP concern within such an optimization analysis for SWM. With the aid of LINGO® software package, the optimization models were solved sequentially to allocate different waste streams subject to the market demand and possible carbon regulation to maximize net benefit and minimize GWP, simultaneously or independently. The planning scenario with respect to a carbon-regulated environment particularly minimizes the large environmental gap in traditional cost–benefit analyses for SWM. Major finding in this study clearly indicates that simply using traditional cost-effectiveness principle or cost–benefit analysis with no GWP concern cannot compete with alternatives with GWP concerns especially in a carbon-regulated environment. The analysis eventually led to the prioritization of the Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) option before disposing of waste streams at the landfill site. Such a systems engineering approach is transferable to other SWM systems for a better planning, design, and operation in the future.