SCENARIO ANALYSIS OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT OPTIONS FOR ABBOTTABAD CITY USING WASTE REDUCTION MODEL (WARM)

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 .