A companion paper described the development of the integrated solid waste management (ISWM) model that considers cost, energy, and environmental releases associated with management of municipal solid waste. This paper demonstrates the application of the ISWM model to a hypothetical, but realistic, case study. Several solid waste management (SWM) scenarios are studied, including the variation in energy and environmental emissions among alternate SWM strategies; the effect of mandated waste diversion (through recycling and other beneficial uses of waste such as combustion to recover energy) on environmental releases and cost; the tradeoff between cost and the level of waste diversion; and the tradeoff between cost and greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the flexibility of the model is illustrated by the identification of alternate SWM strategies that meet approximately the same objectives using distinctly different combinations of unit processes. This flexibility may be of importance to local solid waste management planners who must implement new SWM programs. Use of the model illustrates the potential impact of solid waste management policies and regulations on global environmental emissions.

Existing solid waste management (SWM) planning software provides only limited assistance to decision makers struggling to find strategies that address their multifarious concerns. The combinatorial nature (many waste items and many management options) and multiple objectives of the SWM problem severely constrain the effectiveness of a manual search process using these tools. Recognizing this, researchers have proposed several optimization-based search procedures. These methods, however, enjoy limited use due to the substantial expertise required for their application. This paper presents a new computer-based decision support framework that addresses these limitations. The new framework integrates process models that quantify the life-cycle inventory of a range of pollutants and costs for an extensive municipal solid waste system, an optimization search procedure that identifies strategies that meet cost and environmental objectives and site-specific restrictions, and a user-friendly interface that facilitates utilization of these components by practitioners. After describing the software design, the use and value of the tool in typical waste management scenarios is demonstrated through a hypothetical, but realistic, case study in which several alternative SWM strategies are generated and examined.

Evaluation of alternate strategies for municipal solid waste (MSW) management requires models to calculate environmental emissions as a function of both waste quantity and composition. A methodology to calculate waste component-specific emissions associated with MSW combustion is presented here. The methodology considers emissions at a combustion facility as well as those avoided at an electrical energy facility because of energy recovered from waste combustion. Emission factors, in units of kg pollutant per metric ton MSW entering the combustion facility, are calculated for CO2-biomass, CO2-fossil, SOx, HCl, NOx, dioxins/furans, PM, CO, and 11 metals. Water emissions associated with electrical energy offsets are also considered. Reductions in environmental emissions for a 500-metric-ton-per-day combustion facility that recovers energy are calculated.