Development of a Methodological Framework for the Evaluation of the Material and Energy Recovery Potential of Municipal Solid Waste Management: Implementation in Five Greek Regions

Abstract

Problem According to the Landfill Directive, the proportion of municipal waste disposed of in landfills should be reduced to 10% w/w or less of the total amount of municipal waste generated by 2035. It should be highlighted that even though the regional waste management plans in Greece took into consideration the recycling targets set by the European Union, the proportion of municipal waste disposed of by landfilling was about 80% w/w in 2020.Purpose The present study aims to introduce a methodological framework for the calculation of residues from facilities foreseen in regional waste management plans and the potential of its utilization for energy recovery. Methodology The methodology for the development and implementation of the decision support tool concerned the registration of treatment facilities, the estimation of recyclables and residues derived from them, the calculation of maximum volume or residues for achieving the recycling targets and the circular economy objective, the assessment of quality composition of residues, and the assessment of energy recovery potential. Findings Up to 270 GWh of electricity per year could be generated from a supposed thermal treatment of residues from recycling, while targets concerning recycling and waste management in the frame of circular economy objective can been achieved. Conclusions The proposed methodological framework can be utilized as a decision support tool by relevant decision makers, and can be applied both for the evaluation of the regional waste management plans, which directly affect national recycling and circular economy targets set by European Union environment policy.

Conflicting Issues of Sustainable Consumption and Food Safety: Risky Consumer Behaviors in Reducing Food Waste and Plastic Packaging

“…In transposition of the Directive, several countries are implementing national waste-management plans and measures to reduce food waste. For instance, Bulgaria introduced the National Waste Management Plan 2021–2028 [ 28 ], the Greek Ministry of Environment set a strategic goal for the period 2021–2030 [ 29 ], Hungary aims to reduce food waste and losses through the National Waste Management Plan 2021–2027 [ 30 ], and Romania ordered the “Government Decision 92/2021” on its waste regime [ 31 ]. Incentives such as tax deductions for companies that save food by donation are also present in some EU countries [ 32 ]; this is an effective food-waste reduction policy that was introduced several years ago.…”

Low-Carbon Materials: Genesis, Thoughts, Case Study, and Perspectives

“…However, the role of nuclear power in reducing GHG emissions also faces significant uncertainties [15,16] not to mention those regarding the disposal of nuclear waste and the catastrophic consequences of nuclear accidents [16]. The fossil fuel power stations coupled with a flue gas carbon capture and storage (CCS) system are also a special case [12,17,18].…”

“…Miller and Ip [26] suggested that materials such as bamboo and short-term crops can be considered having negative embodied carbon. There is a growing focus on the embodied carbon of materials and materials CE [12,18,23,33,39]. This approach contributes directly or indirectly to the prevailing green buildings design practice, i.e., Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), a rating system designed to lower the negative environmental impact of a built environment [40].…”

“…Moving forward with the sustainable materials management means also considering the carbon footprint for the materials chosen [18,39]. It is known that the compact fluorescent bulbs are more energy efficient than the incandescent bulbs [41].…”