The effects of legislation on the municipal solid waste management in the European Union in the context of greenhouse gas emissions

Using England, Germany and Bulgaria as representatives

Tesis de Máster , 2005 , 78 Páginas , Calificación: Pass with Distinction

Ciencias ambientales

Since the pre-industrial era the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by nearly 30%, methane concentrations have more than doubled. The resulting climate change will lead to major environmental changes such as rising sea levels, shrinking mountain glaciers, the spread of infectious diseases and increased heat related mortality, impacts to ecosystems and loss in biodiversity, and agricultural shifts such as impacts on crop yields.
As this increase is at least partly caused by human activity, the effort to confront anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions has increased over the last years. Probably the most important measure implemented is the Framework Convention on Climate Change.
In the EU about one third of manmade methane emissions, with a global warming potential 21 times greater than that of carbon dioxide, can be attributed to solid waste disposal. With some 60% of municipal solid waste still being disposed of to landfill without any form of pre-treatment and extensive reliance on incineration for treatment of most of the remainder, it is clear that there is considerable scope for improvement.
In this report the capability of either European or national legislation to improve the actual situation on greenhouse gas emissions related to the management of municipal solid waste was investigated by using England, Germany and Bulgaria as representatives.
From the results obtained by applying a LCA it becomes obvious that European legislation will improve the actual situation on the management of municipal solid waste. The greenhouse gas emissions generated in England will be reduced by more than 75% and thus result in a negative greenhouse gas flux. In Bulgaria the emissions will decline by more than 82%.
With regard to the waste management hierarchy the greatest improvements will be reached by reducing the amount of biodegradable municipal solid waste from landfilling and meanwhile focusing on material recycling. To deal with the putrescible fraction biological treatment options should be preferred to thermal treatment methods.
All improvements achieved by the different scenarios are based on effective source segregated collection schemes. This measure could be justified by the fact that most treatment options rely significantly on the quality of the input materials and that in comparison with the whole municipal solid waste management emissions based on collection and transportation could be neglected.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Abstract
• Table of Contents
• Index of Figures
• Index of Tables
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
  • Objectives
  • Aim
• Literature Review
• Life Cycle Assessment
  • Technologies
    • Material Recovery Facilities
    • Biological Treatment
    • Thermal Treatment
    • Landfilling
    • Recycling
  • Actual Situation
    • England
    • Germany
    • Bulgaria
  • Scenarios
    • England
    • Germany
    • Bulgaria
  • EU Legislation
    • Council Directive 1999/31/EC
      • England
      • Germany
      • Bulgaria
    • Directive 2004/12/EC
      • England
      • Germany
      • Bulgaria
  • National Legislation
    • England
    • Germany
    • Bulgaria
  • Results and Discussion
    • England
    • Germany
    • Bulgaria
  • Conclusions
  • References
  • Appendix I: Energy related input values (IWM-2)
  • Appendix II: Material Bank Site Collection
  • Appendix III: Transport Distances
  • Appendix IV: Packaging Waste

  Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

  This dissertation aims to investigate the effectiveness of European and national legislation in reducing greenhouse gas emissions related to municipal solid waste management. The study focuses on England, Germany, and Bulgaria as representative countries, employing a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to evaluate the impact of different waste management scenarios. The dissertation explores the potential of legislation to promote sustainable waste management practices, particularly in the context of the EU's commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

  • The impact of legislation on municipal solid waste management in the EU.
  • The role of Life Cycle Assessment in evaluating the environmental impact of waste management practices.
  • The effectiveness of different waste management scenarios in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
  • The potential of source segregation and recycling to mitigate climate change.
  • The challenges and opportunities for implementing sustainable waste management practices in different European countries.

  Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

  The introduction provides an overview of the dissertation's objectives and aims, highlighting the significance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from municipal solid waste management. The literature review examines existing research on the topic, exploring the environmental impact of waste management practices and the role of legislation in promoting sustainability. The Life Cycle Assessment chapter details the methodology used to evaluate the environmental impact of different waste management scenarios, including a description of the technologies involved and the actual situation in England, Germany, and Bulgaria. This chapter also presents various scenarios for improving waste management practices in each country, considering the impact of EU and national legislation. The results and discussion chapter analyzes the findings of the LCA, highlighting the effectiveness of different scenarios in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and discussing the implications for policy and practice. The conclusion summarizes the key findings of the dissertation, emphasizing the importance of sustainable waste management practices and the potential of legislation to drive positive change.

  Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

  The keywords and focus themes of the text include municipal solid waste management, greenhouse gas emissions, Life Cycle Assessment, European Union legislation, waste management hierarchy, source segregation, recycling, biological treatment, thermal treatment, landfilling, England, Germany, Bulgaria, and sustainable waste management.

• Universidad: University of Newcastle upon Tyne
• Calificación: Pass with Distinction
• Autor: Mike Speck (Autor)
• Año de publicación: 2005
• Páginas: 78
• No. de catálogo: V113730
• ISBN (Ebook): 9783640133673
• Idioma: Inglés
• Etiqueta: European, Union, LCA, Ökobilanz, Life Cycle Assessment, Life Cycle Inventory, Abfallwirtschaft, Packaging Waste, Verpackungsabfälle, Landfill Directive, Deponie-Richtlinie, Bulgarien, Deutschland, England, United Kingdom, Vereinigtes Königreich, Great Britain, Großbritannien, Umweltgesetzgebung, Environmental Legislation, Kreislaufwirtschafts- / Abfallgesetz, 1999/31/EC, 2004/12/EC, Biological Treatment, biologische Abfallbehandlung, Recycling, Thermal Treatment, MVA, MBA, MBT, Lebenszyklusanalyse, greenhouse gas, GHG, THG, Treibhausgas, Klimawandel, climate change, landfill gas, leachate, Methan, methane