The main aim of this study was to evaluate potential environmental, social and economic benefits contained into paper and cardboard, which are wasted with the unsorted residual municipal solid waste (MSW). The evaluation was performed for the 550 municipalities of the Campania region, in Southern Italy, but the developed procedure is applicable in any context in an ‘urban mining’ perspective. The proposed procedure consists of five phases and uses two methodologies: one for the estimation of the composition analysis of unsorted residual waste and another for the calculation of sustainability indicators able to measure the benefits waste in the unsorted residual MSW. In particular, six indicators were defined: two for the environment (Carbon footprint and Ecological footprint), two for the society (Health footprint and Occupational benefits) and two for the economy (Economic profit and Economic saving). The first methodology was developed by the regional environmental protection agency to update the 2016 MSW regional management plan. The second methodology is based on the use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) through which it was possible to calculate the reference parameters useful for the calculation of the impacts (i.e. loss of benefits) for recycling, mechanical and biological treatment (MBT), incineration and landfilling of paper and cardboard contained in the unsorted residual waste. The obtained results confirmed the presence of such an enormous deposit of recyclable materials, paper and cardboard in this case, contained in the unsorted residual waste, which are a source of environmental, social and economic benefits. For instance, the paper and cardboard ‘urban mining’ of Naples wasted in the unsorted residual MSW in 2015 was greater than 16 million of euro, corresponding to around 50 euro for a household of three persons.
Assessment of environmental, social and economic benefits wasted in the unsorted residual msw in terms of paper and cardboard
Giovanni De Feo
;Carmen Ferrara;
2018-01-01
Abstract
The main aim of this study was to evaluate potential environmental, social and economic benefits contained into paper and cardboard, which are wasted with the unsorted residual municipal solid waste (MSW). The evaluation was performed for the 550 municipalities of the Campania region, in Southern Italy, but the developed procedure is applicable in any context in an ‘urban mining’ perspective. The proposed procedure consists of five phases and uses two methodologies: one for the estimation of the composition analysis of unsorted residual waste and another for the calculation of sustainability indicators able to measure the benefits waste in the unsorted residual MSW. In particular, six indicators were defined: two for the environment (Carbon footprint and Ecological footprint), two for the society (Health footprint and Occupational benefits) and two for the economy (Economic profit and Economic saving). The first methodology was developed by the regional environmental protection agency to update the 2016 MSW regional management plan. The second methodology is based on the use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) through which it was possible to calculate the reference parameters useful for the calculation of the impacts (i.e. loss of benefits) for recycling, mechanical and biological treatment (MBT), incineration and landfilling of paper and cardboard contained in the unsorted residual waste. The obtained results confirmed the presence of such an enormous deposit of recyclable materials, paper and cardboard in this case, contained in the unsorted residual waste, which are a source of environmental, social and economic benefits. For instance, the paper and cardboard ‘urban mining’ of Naples wasted in the unsorted residual MSW in 2015 was greater than 16 million of euro, corresponding to around 50 euro for a household of three persons.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
