Life cycle assessment for urban solid waste management in Bursa

While the solid waste management model applied in the city of Bursa responds to the waste management needs of the city, it creates a burden on the environment at the same time like every activity. The purpose of this study was to analyze the environmental burden arising from municipal waste management in Bursa and to determine the necessary steps to be taken to reduce this burden. Environmental burden was analyzed by using life cycle assessment approach and landfill gas impact modeling. The steps that municipal waste is subjected to throughout its life, namely collection and transport, transport to transfer station, landfilling, energy conversion from landfill gas were included into the system boundaries in life cycle assessment. SimaPro 8.5.0 software was used for the life cycle assessment study, and EPA LandGEM model was employed for the assessment of the impact by landfill gas. The findings of the study showed that the emissions reduced by the landfill gas to energy plant in one year is approximately 0.5 million ton CO2 equivalent, and the contribution of municipal waste managed with landfilling as the main method to the global warming in one year is approximately 44 million ton CO2 equivalent. The approximate contribution of municipal landfilled to smog formation was calculated as 55 million ton O_3 equivalent, to depletion of ozone layer as 647 kg CFC-11 equivalent, to carcinogenic substance formation as 22.5 CTUh, and to inhalation impact as 1732 ton PM10 equivalent.