Over the past two decades, the options for solid waste management have been changing from land disposal to recycling, waste-to-energy, and incineration due to growing attention for resource and energy recovery. In addition, the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission has become an issue of concern in the waste sector because such gases often released into the atmosphere during the waste management processes (e.g., biodegradation in landfills and combustion by incineration) can contribute to climate change. In this study, the emission and reduction rates of GHGs by the municipal solid waste (MSW) management options in D city have been studied for the years 1996-2016. The emissions and reduction rates were calculated according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change guidelines and the EU Prognos method, respectively. A dramatic decrease in the waste landfilled was observed between 1996 and 2004, after which its amount has been relatively constant. Waste recycling and incineration have been increased over the decades, leading to a peak in the GHG emissions from landfills of approximately 63,323 tCO2 eq/yr in 2005, while the lowest value of 35,962 tCO2 eq/ yr was observed in 2016. In 2016, the estimated emission rate of GHGs from incineration was 59,199 tCO2 eq/yr. The reduction rate by material recycling was the highest (-164,487 tCO2 eq/yr) in 2016, followed by the rates by heat recovery with incineration (-59,242 tCO2 eq/yr) and landfill gas recovery (-23,922 tCO2 eq/yr). Moreover, the cumulative GHG reduction rate between 1996 and 2016 was -3.46 MtCO2 eq, implying a very positive impact on future CO2 reduction achieved by waste recycling as well as heat recovery of incineration and landfill gas recovery. This study clearly demonstrates that improved MSW management systems are positive for GHGs reduction and energy savings. These results could help the waste management decision-makers supporting the MSW recycling and energy recovery policies as well as the climate change mitigation efforts at local government level.

This study examined the potentials for greenhouse gas reduction by material recovery and energy recovery from municipal solid waste between 2017 and 2026 in Daejeon Metropolitan City (DMC), which is trying to establish a material-cycle society by constructing a waste-to-energy town by 2018. The town consists of energy recovery facilities such as a mechanical treatment facility for fluff-type solid refuse fuel (SRF) with a power generation plant and anaerobic digestion of food waste for biogas recovery. Such recycling and waste-to-energy facilities will not only reduce GHGs, but will also substitute raw materials for energy consumption. The emissions and reduction rate of GHGs from MSW management options were calculated by the IPCC guideline and EU Prognos method. This study found that in DMC, the decrease of the amount of MSW landfilled and the increase of recycling and waste-to-energy flow reduced GHGs emissions from 167,332 tonCO2 eq/yr in 2017 to 123,123 tonCO2 eq/yr in 2026. Material recycling had the highest rate of GHG reduction (-228,561 tonCO2 eq/yr in 2026), followed by the solid refuse fuels (-29,146 tonCO2 eq/yr in 2026) and biogas treatment of food waste (-3,421 tonCO2 eq/yr in 2026). This study also shows that net GHG emission was found to be -30,505 tonCO2 eq in 2017 and -105,428 tonCO2 eq, indicating a great and positive impact on future CO2 emission. Improved MSW management with increased recycling and energy recovery of material waste streams can positively contribute to GHGs reduction and energy savings. The results of this study would help waste management decision-makers clarify the effectiveness of recycling MSW, and their corresponding energy recovery potentials, as well as to understand GHG reduction by the conversion.