Life cycle concept was applied to analyse and assess some municipal solid waste (MSW) management scenarios in terms of environmental impacts, particularised for Iasi city, Romania, where approximately 380 kg/cap/yr of waste are generated. Currently, the management processes include temporary storage, collection, transport and landfilling, but separate collection, sorting, recycling and composting of solid waste, which should be addressed according to the National Strategy and European policy for waste. Four different scenarios were elaborated as alternatives to the existing waste management system in Iasi, which include both previously applied and current waste management alternatives, as well as some advanced practices. The effectiveness of the scenarios was evaluated in terms of environmental impacts based on Life Cycle Analysis, supported by GaBi software. Some environmental impact categories (acidification, eutrophication, global warming, human toxicity, and photochemical ozone generation potentials, carcinogenic substances, heavy metals, winter smog, photochemical ozone formation) were estimated based on several impact assessment methods associated to GaBi software (CML 2001, CML 96, EDIP 2003, EI95). The study emphasises the importance of system boundaries for the life cycle impact assessment process and consequently – for the optimal waste management alternative. Santrauka Analizuojant ir vertinant komunalinių atliekų tvarkymo scenarijus buvo pritaikyta būvio ciklo koncepcija atsižvelgiant į daromą poveikį aplinkai, remiantis Jasai miesto, Rumunijoje, atveju. Šiame mieste susidaro apytiksliai 380 kg/žmogui/ metus atliekų. Šiuo metu atliekų tvarkymo procesą sudaro laikinos laikymo vietos, surinkimas, transportavimas ir deponavimas sąvartyne, bet pagal Nacionalinę strategiją ir Europos atliekų politiką atliekos turi būti rūšiuojamos, perdirbamos ir kompostuojamos. Todėl buvo detaliau išanalizuoti keturi skirtingi scenarijai kaip alternatyvos esamai atliekų tvarkymo sistemai Jasai mieste, įtraukiant prieš tai taikytas ir šiuo metu taikomas atliekų tvarkymo alternatyvas, taip pat pažangesnes praktikas. Scenarijų efektyvumas buvo vertinamas analizuojant aplinkosaugos aspektus remiantis būvio ciklo analize ir taikant GaBi programinę įrangą. Kai kurios poveikio aplinkai kategorijos (rūgštinimas, eutrofikacija, globalus atšilimas, žmonių apsinuodijimas, fotocheminis ozono susidarymo potencialas, kancerogeninės medžiagos, sunkieji metalai, žiemos smogas, fotocheminis ozono formavimasis) buvo vertinamos remiantis keletu poveikio įvertinimo aspektų, esančių GaBi programoje (CML 2001, CML 96, EDIP 2003, EI95). Atlikta studija pabrėžia sistemos ribų svarbą, vykdant poveikio vertinimą, taikant būvio ciklo procesą ir parenkant optimalią atliekų tvarkymo alternatyvą. Резюме При анализе и оценке сценариев по обработке коммунальных отходов с учетом их влияния на окружающую средув городе Ясай в Румынии, где приблизительно скапливается 380 кг/чел./ год отходов, применялась концепцияцикла существования. В настоящее время в процесс по обработке отходов вовлекаются временные места хранения, сбор, транспортировка и депонирование отходов на свалке. Однако на основании Национальной стратегии иЕвропейской политики, касаюшейся отходов, они должны сортироваться, перерабатываться и компостироваться.В связи с этим детально проанализированы четыре разных сценария в качестве альтернатив существующей в городе Ясай системе обработки отходов с использованием применявшихся ранее и применяемых в настоящее времяальтернатив по обработке отходов, а также прогрессивных практик. Эффективность сценариев оценивалась наосновании анализа природоохранных аспектов касательно анализа цикла существования и с применением программного оборудования GaBi. Некоторые категории влияния на окружающую среду (окисление, эутрофикация,глобальное потепление, отравление людей, фотохимический потенциал образования озона, канцерогенные вещества, тяжелые металлы, зимний смог, фотохимическое формирование озона) оценивались на основании нескольких аспектов влияния, имеющихся в программе GaBi (CML 2001, CML 96, EDIP 2003, EI95). Проведенный анализподчеркивает важность границ системы при оценке влияния и применении процесса цикла существования, а также подборе оптимальных альтернатив обработки отходов.

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This paper describes the scientific framework established within doctoral and postdoctoral programs designed to contribute to a thorough understanding of the specific processes involved in environmental engineering and protection, as to improve the environmental management and performance in an efficient and sustainable way. A coherent conceptual framework is developed for the analysis and management of some specific approaches in engineering and environmental protection (pollution phenomena, decontamination processes/remediation, reactive and proactive advances), evaluated by applying a set of sustainable development indicators, able to compare, evaluate and develop a set of methods and approaches based on concepts and scientific methods, which will make process analysis solid. The study includes some groups of activities such as: selection and processes analysis considering pollution/remediation based on the behaviour of environmental contaminants, considering the source-pathwayreceptor chain, starting with process baseline, target and projection; selection of the most relevant sustainability indicators for the evaluation of prevention, control and remediation of environmental components processes; performance evaluation, thresholds, causal loops, model construction and scenario analysis. Various approaches are applied to provide a systematic categorization of socioeconomic , environmental and natural resource information under four headings: pressure (stresses or agents of environmental change), state (resources assets, environmental quality), impact and societal response. Indicator integration is also addressed as a means by which individual and quite different indicators in a framework can somehow be viewed together to provide a global view of sustainable development. Sustainability diagrams, as well as indices would ensure clarity for users offering a high level of prominence.

Municipal solid waste management is a matter experienced by the entire world, mostly encountered in urban areas as a result of population growth and increased income per capita. This issue always posed threats to environmental quality and human health, and continues to be one of the major environmental problems people continues to face. In the last few decades, the systems analysis techniques have been applied to manage the municipal solid waste (MSW) streams through a range of integrative methodologies so as to fulfill the necessity to ensure sustainable development of MSW. The new Waste Directive 2008/98/EC it focuses on the need for choosing appropriate technologies that aim at improving the protection of human health and environment, promoting reuse and recycling, enhancing waste prevention programs via biowaste separate collection. New strategies at European level to promote life cycle thinking in waste management policies were motivated by the scarcity of resources. In this paper Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was applied to analyze and evaluate, from an environmental point of view, different municipal solid waste management (MSWM) scenarios and tissue paper manufacturing processes (two scenarios) based on virgin and recovered fibers.