Greenhouse Gas Emission from Solid Waste Management of Mandalay Municipality and Possible Mitigation Options

This study investigated municipal solid waste (MSW) composition, energy potential, and estimates of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the current MSW management practice and the future MSW management scenarios of  Mandalay municipality, Republic of the Union of Myanmar. Waste sampling was performed in March 2019 for two transfer stations, with garden and park waste accounting for 45.4 % by wet weight of MSW. Plastic, food, and textile waste accounted for 15.4, 14.4 and 11.0 wt%, respectively. The rest (13.7 wt%) comprised small pieces of wood, rubber, leather, paper, nappies, metal, and glass. The moisture content of MSW samples was 43.2 wt%. Based on this composition, the energy potential from MSW was approximately 2,357 TJ. The equivalent electricity production potential ranged from 5.2-10.3 MW, assuming an overall power plant efficiency of 10-20% and 300 working days per year. The amount of GHG emission from MSW management was estimated, using 2006 IPCC guidelines for national GHG inventories, to be 94 Gg carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-eq) in 2019. MSW generation up to 2030 was
forecasted using the univariate Grey model (GM (1, 1) ). Under a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario, the GHG emission will increase to 820 Gg CO2-eq in 2030. This study proposed two alternative MSW management scenarios for GHG mitigation based on the Mandalay waste management strategy. The first scenario (S1) represented the case where waste collection efficiency and recycling were enhanced, and the composting and aerobic digestion facilities were operated. The second scenario (S2) described the case where additional material and energy recovery through reuse and recycling, composting, anaerobic digestion, and waste-to-energy power plant were implemented. S2 also included conversions of all landfills into semi-aerobic landfills. The results showed that in 2030, S1 and S2 could reduce GHG emissions by 6% and 55%, respectively, compared to the BAU.