Abstract:
Abbottabad is one of the most beautiful cities in Pakistan. It is famous for its
scenic landscapes and historical landmarks. It is a gateway to further tourist spots
in Pakistan. While entering the city from Islamabad, Salhad dumping site is
located at entrance of the city polluting Salhad stream flowing nearby due to
leachate of the dumping site and causing unbearable order problem to the
inhabitants and tourists. This dumping site is in use since 1984, however, the
community and the legal institutions have increasingly started objecting against
the improper management and disposal of solid waste. In this context, there is a
dire need for a data-driven and environmentally sustainable solid waste
management policy and program for hill stations. In this study, life cycle analysis
of different waste management scenarios to identify the best option with the least
environmental burden in terms of GHG emissions and energy consumption using
US-EPA waste reduction model (WARM) was conducted. Comparison of seven
proposed scenarios with the baseline solid waste management scenario was
conducted. Baseline scenario was open dumping whereas in proposed scenario
impact of composting, anerobic digestion, incineration, landfill and recycling
was measured. Resultantly, scenario 8 was found to be the best one with not only
least GHG emissions but also with second-least energy consumption. In this
scenario, it was proposed that food waste (74.3% of total MSW) will be sent to
composting facility and rest of the waste will be recycled, primarily comprising
of mixed plastics, mixed metal, paper, glass, mixed electronics and concrete.
Overall, the findings of this study suggest the incorporation of integrated solid
waste management principles into planning and implementation of an
environmentally sustainable solid waste management program for the city .
