Environmental assessment of two waste incineration strategies for central Norway

Background, Aims and Scope. A strategy of local incineration with 17 small incinerators (Scenario L) is compared to a strategy of 3 centralized waste incinerators (Scenario Q for the region of Central Norway, in order to assess differences in environmental performance. Rough calculations of costs are also included. The functional unit is the treatment of municipal, commercial and special waste not recycled, plus the heating of a specific number of households, for the period of 2002 to 2020. Methods. Data on large and small scale incinerators were obtained from technology providers. LCA databases were used for transportation and heating, while cost estimates and Norwegian input-output tables were used for the construction of the facilities. The CML2 method was used to evaluate the impacts. Results and Discussion. Transportation is a major contributor to aquatic toxicity and acidification as well as CO2 emissions. Impacts from construction are considerable for photochemical oxidation, while incineration is important for terrestrial toxicity and CO2 emissions. Conclusion. Construction and operation of treatment facilities are, together with transportation, the main processes making a difference between the two strategies. Substantial gains will come from the reduction in transportation need when introducing a local incineration strategy. When considering a time span of two decades, the centralized scenario is about 2.5 to 5 times the impact potential of the local scenario for most impact categories, in terms of cumulative results. Cost estimates for the two solutions support these findings, as cumulated costs also favors a local solution. Recommendation and Outlook. Transportation is a major contributor to several impact categories, and especially the transportation of special waste should become more efficient in terms of transportation distances. Cost estimates support the environmental assessment, but a more comprehensive economic study of the system would be valuable.