Use of Life-Cycle Analysis To Support Solid Waste Management Planning for Delaware

Mathematical models of integrated solid waste management (SWM) are useful planning tools given the complexity of the solid waste system and the interactions among the numerous components that constitute the system. An optimization model was used in this study to identify and evaluate alternative plans for integrated SWM for the State of Delaware in consideration of cost and environmental performance, including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The three counties in Delaware were modeled individually to identify efficient SWM plans in consideration of constraints on cost, landfill diversion requirements, GHG emissions, and the availability of alternate treatment processes (e.g., recycling, composting, and combustion). The results show that implementing a landfill diversion strategy (e.g., curbside recycling) for only a portion of the population is most cost-effective for meeting a county-specific landfill diversion target Implementation of waste-to-energy offers the most cost-effective opportunity for GHG emissions reductions.