Enhancing Sustainability in Municipal Solid Waste Management: An Integrated Approach to Assess Environmental Benefits and Opportunities in India

The integration of innovative strategies in municipal solid waste (MSW) management is critical for achieving sustainability in rapidly urbanizing regions. This study uniquely applied life cycle assessment (LCA) with real-world scenarios to optimize waste treatment processes and assess their environmental and economic impacts in Nashik City, India. The life cycle environmental performance of five waste management scenarios were analyzed for the treatment of 660 t of MSW per day. Scenario 1 represented the current integrated solid waste management (ISWM) system, where mixed waste is sorted into organic waste for composting, recyclables for refuse-derived fuel, and inert waste for landfilling. The additional waste streams, like dry waste, biomass, and food waste, are processed via pyrolysis, briquetting, and biogas production, respectively. Scenario 2 assumed the direct landfilling of all waste without treatment. Scenarios 3 and 4 incorporated the anaerobic digestion (AD) of 78 t and 156 t of source-segregated organic waste instead of composting it, respectively. Scenario 5 was built on scenario 4 and assumed that the electricity consumed in the ISWM plant is generated from solar energy. The results revealed that landfilling (scenario S2) had enormous impacts on the environment compared to the existing integrated solid waste management plant. Most of the avoided impacts on various environmental impact indicators for all scenarios were from refuse-derived fuel pellets and avoided because of landfilling. Scenario S5 was found to have the least impact on the environment, providing an overall impact reduction of 13% compared to the existing scenario, and generated the highest revenue of INR 7,40,320 (USD 8,457) per day. These findings provided insights for improving the MSW management infrastructure and establishing an integrated waste management system, emphasizing the importance of resource recovery and integration of renewable energy to reduce environmental impact and improve sustainability.