Briefing: Sustainable Management of Municipal Solid Waste without Food waste

Author(s)

Jay N Meegoda, PhD, PE, FASCE Bruno Bezerra de Souza, MSc

Abstract

This paper discusses the feasibility of sustainable management of municipal solid waste without food waste. Many governments, states and cities are aware of the adverse impacts of food waste on the management of municipal solid waste.

Biological contamination is the main issue when dealing with municipal solid waste. Hence, the absence of food waste opens up a window of opportunity for enhanced recovery of resources from municipal solid waste before or after landfilling. In order to relate the above, the paper first discusses the global significance of food waste and how it is managed.

Then, it discusses the negative effects of food waste on landfill operation and probable solutions for managing food waste. Without biological contamination due to food waste and based on the average composition of municipal solid waste, the paper promotes enhanced recycling and sending the balance to a landfill or incinerator for recovery of the remaining resources.

The paper suggests that municipal solid waste without food waste offers a new opportunity for sustainable management of solid waste to yield a prosperous, environmentally sustainable and healthy society.

Keywords

landfills sustainability waste management & disposal