IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007
Climate Change 2007: Working Group III: Mitigation of Climate Change

10.6.3 Adaptation, mitigation and sustainable development in the waste sector

In addition to providing mitigation of GHG emissions, improved public health, and environmental benefits, solid waste and wastewater technologies confer significant co-benefits for adaptation, mitigation and sustainable development (Table 10.7; see also Section 12.3.4). In developing countries, improved waste and wastewater management using low- or medium-technology strategies are recommended to provide significant GHG mitigation and public health benefits at lower cost. Some of these strategies include small-scale wastewater management such as septic tanks and recycling of grey water, construction of medium-technology landfills with controlled waste placement and use of daily cover (perhaps including a final biocover to optimize CH4 oxidation), and controlled composting of organic waste.

The major impediment in developing countries is the lack of capital, which jeopardizes improvements in waste and wastewater management. Developing countries may also lack access to advanced technologies. However, technologies must be sustainable in the long term, and there are many examples of advanced, but unsustainable, technologies for waste management that have been implemented in developing countries. Therefore, the selection of truly sustainable waste and wastewater strategies is very important for both the mitigation of GHG emissions and for improved urban infrastructure.

Table 10.7: Summary of adaptation, mitigation and sustainable development issues for the waste sector.

Technologies and practices Vulnerability to climate change Adaptation implications & strategies to minimize emissions Sustainable development dimensions Comments 
Social Economic Environmental 

Recycling, reuse & waste minimization

 

Indirect low vulnerability or no vulnerability

 

Minimal implications

 

Usually positive

Negative for waste scavenging without public health or safety controls

 

Positive

Job creation

 

Positive

Negative for waste scavenging from open dumpsites with air and water pollution

 

Indirect benefits for reducing GHG emissions from waste

Reduces use of energy and raw materials.

Requires implementation of health and safety provisions for workers

 

Controlled landfilling

with landfill gas recovery and utilization

 

Indirect low vulnerability or positive effects:

Higher temperatures increase rates of microbial methane oxidation rates in cover materials

 

Minimal implications

May be regulatory mandates or economic incentives

Replaces fossil fuels for process heat or electrical generation

 

Positive

Odour reduction

(non-CH4 gases)

 

Positive

Job creation

Energy recovery potential

 

Positive

Negative for improperly managed sites with air and water pollution

 

Primary control on landfill CH4 emissions with >1200 commercial projects

Important local source of renewable energy: replaces fossil fuels

Landfill gas projects comprise 12% of annual registered CERs under CDMa

Oxidation of CH4 and NMVOCs in cover soils is a smaller secondary control on emissions

 

Controlled landfilling

without landfill gas recovery

 

Indirect low vulnerability or positive effects:

Higher temperatures increase rates of microbial methane oxidation rates in cover materials

 

Minimal implications

Gas monitoring and control still required

 

Positive

Odour reduction

(non-CH4 gases)

 

Positive

Job creation

 

Positive

Negative for improperly managed sites with air and water pollution

 

Use of cover soils and oxidation in cover soils reduce rate of CH4 and NMVOC emissions

 

Optimizing microbial methane oxidation in landfill cover soils (‘biocovers’)

 

Indirect low vulnerability or positive effects:

Increased rates at higher temperatures

 

Minimal implications or positive effects

 

Positive

Odour reduction

(non-CH4 gases)

 

Positive

Job creation

 

Positive

Negative for improperly designed or managed biocovers with GHG emissions and NMVOC emissions

 

Important secondary control on landfill CH4 emissions and emissions of NMVOCs

Utilizes other secondary materials (compost, composted sludges)

Low-cost low-technology strategy for developing countries

 

Uncontrolled disposal (open dumping & burning)

 

Highly vulnerable

Detrimental effects:

warmer temp. promote pathogen growth and disease vectors

 

Exacerbates adaptation problems

Recommend implementation of more controlled disposal and recycling practices

 

Negative

 

Negative

 

Negative

 

Consider alternative lower-cost medium technology solutions (e.g., landfill with controlled waste placement, compaction, and daily cover materials)

 

Thermal processes including incineration, industrial co-combustion, and more advanced processes for waste-to-energy (e.g., fluidized bed technology with advanced flue gas cleaning)

 

Low vulnerability

 

Minimal implications

Requires source control and emission controls to prevent emissions of heavy metals, acid gases, dioxins and other air toxics

 

Positive

Odour reduction

(non-CH4 gases)

 

Positive

Job creation

Energy recovery potential

 

Positive

Negative for improperly designed or managed facilities without air pollution controls

 

Reduces GHG emissions relative to landfilling

Costly, but can provide significant mitigation potential for the waste sector, especially in the short term

Replaces fossil fuels

 

Aerobic biological treatment

(composting)

Also a component of

mechanical biological treatment (MBT)

 

Indirect low vulnerability or positive effects:

Higher temperatures increase rates of biological processes (Q10)

 

Minimal implications or positive effects

Produces CO2 (biomass) and compost

Reduces volume,

stabilizes organic C, and destroys pathogens

 

Positive

Odour reduction

(non-CH4 gases)

 

Positive

Job creation

Use of compost products

 

Positive

Negative for improperly designed or managed facilities with odours, air and water pollution

 

Reduces GHG emissions

Can produce useful secondary materials (compost) provided there is quality control on material inputs and operations

Can emit N2O and CH4 under reduced aeration or anaerobic conditions

 

Anaerobic biological treatment

(anaerobic digestion)

Also a component of

mechanical-biological treatment (MBT)

 

Indirect low vulnerability or positive effects:

Higher temperatures increase rates of biological processes

 

Minimal implications

Produces CH4, CO2, and biosolids under highly controlled conditions

Biosolids require management

 

Positive

Odour reduction

(non-CH4 gases)

 

Positive

Job creation

Energy recovery potential

Use of residual biosolids

 

Positive

Negative for improperly designed or managed facilities with, odours, air and water pollution

 

Reduces GHG emissions

CH4 in biogas can replace fossil fuels for process heat or electrical generation

Can emit minor quantities of CH4 during start-ups, shutdowns and malfunctions

 

Wastewater control and treatment

(aerobic or anaerobic)

 

Highly vulnerable

Detrimental effects in absence of wastewater control and treatment:

Warmer temperatures promote pathogen growth and poor public health

 

Large adaptation implications

High potential for reducing uncontrolled GHG emissions

Residuals (biosolids) from aerobic treatment may be anaerobically digested

 

Positive

Odour reduction

(non-CH4 gases)

 

Positive

Job creation

Energy recovery potential from

anaerobic processes

Use of sludges and other residual biosolids

 

Positive

Negative for improperly designed or managed facilities with odours, air and water pollution and GHG emissions

 

Wide range of available technologies to collect, treat, recycle and re-use wastewater

Wide range of costs

CH4 from anaerobic processes replaces fossil fuels for process heat or electrical generation

Need to design and operate to minimize N2O and CH4 emissions during transport and treatment

 

a http://cdm.unfccc.int/Projects/registerd.html, October 2006