Greenhouse Gas Emissions
from Municipal Solid Waste
Management: A Review of Global
Scenario
Meenu Gautam and Madhoolika Agrawal
Abstract Increases in the population and prosperity are significant contributors to
waste generation. Globally, ~2.01 billion metric tonnes of municipal solid waste
(MSW) are produced annually, which are expected to upsurge by two folds in 2050,
thereby raising a matter of concern in future. The chapter aims to assess the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from MSW management and its subsequent impacts
on socioeconomic status of people and ecological systems. The study also includes
mitigation strategies to reduce emissions of GHGs from waste management. The
life cycle assessment of MSW management in relation to GHG emissions discloses
that more than 50% of the collected waste is not managed properly instead openly
burned or dumped at landfills in most developing countries. Moreover, nearly 10–
40% is processed through recycling and composting. Total GHG (CH 4 , CO 2 , and
N 2 O) emissions from waste management contribute approximately 5% of overall
GHG emissions into the atmosphere. Methane generation exclusively accounts for
1–2% of GHG release from the process of waste management. The emitted GHGs
lead to global warming, climate change, and adversely affect the living organisms
on the earth. Therefore, sustainable management of the system from collection to
treatment and disposal with special emphasis on GHGs emission minimization is
essential to sustain the available resources and safeguard the environment. The study
highlights the strategies such as 5-R principal, waste segregation at household level,
use of natural gas-based vehicles, advanced modifications in the system of waste
management in developing countries, utilization of compost and residue as manure,
and reclamation of abandoned landfill sites to mitigate the emissions for sustainable
progression of the nations. The review also provides a basis for decision-makers in
local, national, and regional levels to formulate and execute strategies and policies
for mitigating GHG emanations during MSW management.
M. Gautam · M. Agrawal (B)
Laboratory of Air Pollution and Global Climate Change, Department of Botany, Institute of
Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India
e-mail: madhoo.agrawal@gmail.com
M. Gautam
e-mail: meenu400@gmail.com
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to
Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
S. S. Muthu (eds.), Carbon Footprint Case Studies, Environmental Footprints
and Eco-design of Products and Processes, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9577-6_5
123
from Municipal Solid Waste
Management: A Review of Global
Scenario
Meenu Gautam and Madhoolika Agrawal
Abstract Increases in the population and prosperity are significant contributors to
waste generation. Globally, ~2.01 billion metric tonnes of municipal solid waste
(MSW) are produced annually, which are expected to upsurge by two folds in 2050,
thereby raising a matter of concern in future. The chapter aims to assess the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from MSW management and its subsequent impacts
on socioeconomic status of people and ecological systems. The study also includes
mitigation strategies to reduce emissions of GHGs from waste management. The
life cycle assessment of MSW management in relation to GHG emissions discloses
that more than 50% of the collected waste is not managed properly instead openly
burned or dumped at landfills in most developing countries. Moreover, nearly 10–
40% is processed through recycling and composting. Total GHG (CH 4 , CO 2 , and
N 2 O) emissions from waste management contribute approximately 5% of overall
GHG emissions into the atmosphere. Methane generation exclusively accounts for
1–2% of GHG release from the process of waste management. The emitted GHGs
lead to global warming, climate change, and adversely affect the living organisms
on the earth. Therefore, sustainable management of the system from collection to
treatment and disposal with special emphasis on GHGs emission minimization is
essential to sustain the available resources and safeguard the environment. The study
highlights the strategies such as 5-R principal, waste segregation at household level,
use of natural gas-based vehicles, advanced modifications in the system of waste
management in developing countries, utilization of compost and residue as manure,
and reclamation of abandoned landfill sites to mitigate the emissions for sustainable
progression of the nations. The review also provides a basis for decision-makers in
local, national, and regional levels to formulate and execute strategies and policies
for mitigating GHG emanations during MSW management.
M. Gautam · M. Agrawal (B)
Laboratory of Air Pollution and Global Climate Change, Department of Botany, Institute of
Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India
e-mail: madhoo.agrawal@gmail.com
M. Gautam
e-mail: meenu400@gmail.com
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to
Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
S. S. Muthu (eds.), Carbon Footprint Case Studies, Environmental Footprints
and Eco-design of Products and Processes, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9577-6_5
123