Experience with the use of LCA-modelling (EASEWASTE) in waste management.
Life-cycle assessment (LCA) models are becoming the principal decision support tools of waste management systems. This paper describes our experience with the use of EASEWASTE (Environmental Assessment of Solid Waste Systems and Technologies), a new computerized LCA-based model for integrated waste management. Our findings provide a quantitative understanding of waste management systems and may reveal consistent approaches to improve their environmental performances. EASEWASTE provides a versatile system modelling facility combined with a complete life-cycle impact assessment and in addition to the traditional impact categories addresses toxicity-related categories. New categories dealing with stored ecotoxicity and spoiled groundwater resources have been introduced. EASEWASTE has been applied in several studies, including full-scale assessments of waste management in Danish municipalities. These studies led to numerous modelling issues: the need of combining process-specific and input-specific emissions, the choice of a meaningful time horizon, the way of accounting for biological carbon emissions, the problem of stored ecotoxicity and aspects of crediting the waste management system with the savings inherent in avoided production of energy and materials. Interpretation of results showed that waste management systems can be designed in an environmentally sustainable manner where energy recovery processes lead to substantial avoidance of emissions and savings of resources.
Christensen
Thomas H
TH
Institute of Environment & Resources, Building 115, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark. thc@er.dtu.dk
Bhander
Gurbakhash
G
Lindvall
Hanna
H
Larsen
Anna W
AW
Fruergaard
Thilde
T
Damgaard
Anders
A
Manfredi
Simone
S
Boldrin
Alessio
A
Riber
Christian
C
Hauschild
Michael
M
D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012037:Refuse Disposal / Q000379:methods*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D018505:Waste Management / Q000379:methods*; D014881:Water Supply