Indicators for Valorisation of Municipal Solid Waste and Special Waste

Indicators are important tools that assist decision-makers in formulating and implementing plans for the management of waste at local, national and international levels. An indicator is an elementary datum or a simple combination of data capable of measuring an observed phenomenon. Indicators are there to enhance communication about the environment and to serve as a tool for policy-making. Indicators can be used to track progress over time, or to compare characteristics between one or more communities, companies, agencies, departments, products or processes. By examining these indicators over time or between different regions, communities, etc., improvements or setbacks in resource use and waste generation can be identified. In addition, these indicators can be used to illustrate the shift in industrial strategy away from end-of-pipe processes towards waste recycling, cleaner production and integrated lifecycle analysis. Different sets of environmental indicators that convey information about waste valorisation at the regional level have been developed. Indicators of reuse, recycling and other recovery like energetic valorisation related to different kinds of waste are presented. In this paper two groups of indicators are defined; the first one evaluates the valorisation of different components of municipal solid waste: treatment of municipal solid waste, recycling of glass packaging, recycling of paper and cardboard, valorisation of light packaging and energy produced from municipal solid waste. The second one evaluates the valorisation of different kinds of special waste with other kinds of treatments applied to this special waste: treatment of construction and demolition waste, used tyres management, production and disposal of municipal wastewater sewage sludge, and collection and management of waste electrical and electronic equipment. The obtained indicators of the defined methodology are applied to the region of Cantabria (Spain) presenting that the waste management in this region is good. The information of the indicators can serve as a reference for decision-making and implementing useful tools for enhancing the valorisation of waste at the regional level.