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USING A LIFE-CYCLE APPROACH TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN THE UNITED STATES
Citation:
Weitz, K., S. Nishtala, AND S Thorneloe*. USING A LIFE-CYCLE APPROACH TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN THE UNITED STATES. Presented at WASTECON 2000, Cincinnati, OH, 10/23-26/00.
Description:
The paper discusses a computer-based decision support tool that has been developed to assist local governments in evaluating the cost and environmental performance of integrated municipal solid waste (MSW) managment systems. ongoing case studies of the tool at the local level are summarized. The tool is also being evaluated for application at state and national levels through case studies. One state-level case study is summarized to illustrate how the decision support tool was used to estimate the environmental benefits of the state's recycling program over time. (NOTE: Local governments have the primary responsibility for the collection, treatment, and disposal of MSW. In developing sustainable strategies for solid waste management, communities seek approaches that are economically viable and beneficial to the environment and quality of life. Although communities have had access to reliable cost information related to their MSW management systems, they have lacked comparable environmental information with which to assess the environmental benefits and burdens of alternative MSW management Options. Many communities, planners, and policy-makers are often faced with limited and unorganized information on which to base decisions regarding integrated MSW management strategies).