Integrated Planning: the links between urban waste management, sanitation and energy

1. Integrated Planning:the links between urban waste management, sanitation and energy

2. Issues and challenges • Global trend – rapid increase in volumes and changing characteristics of municipal solid waste • Average annual increases in China 2000-2006 - Non-industrial waste water: 6.4 % - Municipal solid waste: 13 % • E-waste: China produced 2.3 million tons in 2011 but 70% of global e-waste ends up there

3. MSW varies by GDP level • Types of MSW produced change according to the standard of living in the city

4. Financial, environmental and health impacts • In developing countries, MSW management costs 20-50 % of city budget • But often only covers 50 % of urban population • In low-income countries, MSW collection alone drains 80-90 % of waste management budgets • Open dumps and open burning continue to be the primary method of MSW disposal in most developing countries; hazards to human health

5. Conventional urban waste management • Focuses largely on waste collection, treatment (composting and incineration) and disposal (landfills) • Little or no resource value since no separation of wastes occurs • No attention to new waste streams • Landfill leachate pollutes ground water • Health hazards to waste workers; child labor

6. Integrated solid waste management • Waste prevention: more sustainable production processes • Waste minimization: ex. Reduction of packaging • Waste separation and recycling of valuable resources (e.g., plastics, glass, metals, biogas, e-waste) • Re-use (ex. construction waste, also example of cement plant) • Waste to energy schemes using high calorific value fraction of waste (incineration for electricity production or biogas generation) • Composting of biodegradable waste for fertilizer • Sanitary disposal: environmentally designed landfills reduce impacts

7. Utilization of wastes and by-products in a cement factory

8. Policy options for urban waste management • Developing meaningful partnerships with private sector to take pressure off public services and financing, and boost the local economy • Organize informal workers and communities for effective implementation of ISWM and 3Rs, particularly to increase recycling • Reducing MSW and aiming for “zero waste” (e.g., extended producer responsibility, such as vehicle tires and batteries)

9. Policy options (cont.) • Capturing energy from the waste stream • Incineration of high calorific value waste for electricity generation • Gasification of sewage sludge • Capture and use of landfill gas • New industrial process: plastics yield bio-diesel • Increasing the reuse of by-products and waste by industry (ex. Re-use of construction waste)

10. Key takeaway points • Integrated urban planning is the key to sustainability • Engage all city departments in city planning, as operations will be increasingly linked • Sustainability yields enormous economic, social and environmental benefits

11. Thank you Mohan Peck UN Consultant mohan.peck@gmail.com Shanghai Manual: A Guide for Sustainable Urban Development in the 21st Century