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The Treatment of Municipal Solid Waste in Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam: An Environmental and Technological Analysis of Current and Future Scenarios

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  • Giovanni Gadaleta

    (Department of Civil, Environmental, Land, Building Engineering and Chemistry (DICATECh), Politecnico di Bari, Via E. Orabona n. 4, I-70125 Bari, Italy)

  • Michele Notarnicola

    (Department of Civil, Environmental, Land, Building Engineering and Chemistry (DICATECh), Politecnico di Bari, Via E. Orabona n. 4, I-70125 Bari, Italy)

  • Sabino De Gisi

    (Department of Civil, Environmental, Land, Building Engineering and Chemistry (DICATECh), Politecnico di Bari, Via E. Orabona n. 4, I-70125 Bari, Italy)

Abstract

The population growth of South-Asian countries is contributing significantly to the escalating volume of municipal solid waste (MSW). Presently, waste management in this region predominantly relies on landfilling, necessitating a shift towards a more sustainable paradigm. To address this imperative, this study explores the feasibility of extending the European-based waste management system for treating MSW in Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Assuming as current scenario the direct disposal in landfill, the environmental and technical performances of five other proposed scenarios based on the following technologies were assessed: mechanical–biological treatment; incineration; their combination; mechanical recycling; composting and anaerobic digestion. As expected, all alternative technologies showed potential for improving the current scenario. However, from an environmental point of view, incineration of mixed MSW emerged as the sole option that yielded a discernible environmental benefit for all the countries involved in the study (achieving a carbon footprint of about −0.111 t-CO 2 -Eq./FU). Recycling-based scenarios achieved higher benefits for Thailand and Vietnam (−0.145 and −0.186 t-CO 2 -Eq./FU, respectively), but not Cambodia (0.072 t-CO 2 -Eq./FU) due to the lack of valuable materials to recycle. Technical findings showed how separate collection remains the system generating the least amount of waste for disposal (about 0.185 t), having a synergic effect on the combined approach of mechanical–biological treatment and incineration, which boasts the highest specific energy yield (about 0.339 and 1.183 kW/t, for electric and thermal energy, respectively). These results underscore the imperative to extend the analysis to the economic domain, combining diverse criteria to identify the most sustainable solution.

Suggested Citation

  • Giovanni Gadaleta & Michele Notarnicola & Sabino De Gisi, 2023. "The Treatment of Municipal Solid Waste in Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam: An Environmental and Technological Analysis of Current and Future Scenarios," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-20, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:24:p:16658-:d:1296111
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Józef Ciuła & Violetta Kozik & Agnieszka Generowicz & Krzysztof Gaska & Andrzej Bak & Marlena Paździor & Krzysztof Barbusiński, 2020. "Emission and Neutralization of Methane from a Municipal Landfill-Parametric Analysis," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-18, November.
    2. Dek Vimean Pheakdey & Nguyen Van Quan & Tran Dang Khanh & Tran Dang Xuan, 2022. "Challenges and Priorities of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Cambodia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-27, July.
    3. Navarro Ferronato & Vincenzo Torretta, 2019. "Waste Mismanagement in Developing Countries: A Review of Global Issues," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-28, March.
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