Comparing the Scenarios of Current Conditions and the Development Plan for the Waste Management System in Rasht County Using the Life Cycle Approach

Improper waste management threatens the sustainability of the environment. Defining an optimal and sustainable system for waste disposal requires the examination of all processes within the system, their impact on the environment, economic aspects, implementation, and energy consumption in each part. The present study was conducted with the goal of modeling the municipal solid waste management system of Rasht County based on the life cycle assessment approach. In this regard, two existing disposal scenarios and the development plan for the future were compared. The first scenario (existing disposal) includes the sale of recycled waste, biological processing (compost production), and landfilling. The second scenario (development plan) involves the use of an incinerator in addition to previous disposal methods. After collecting data using the IWM-2 model, the environmental impacts of each scenario were assessed. The results show that if the second scenario assumptions are applied, the amount of energy consumption, pollutants, and global warming will decrease relative to the first scenario. Total energy consumption in the first and second scenarios is respectively +3891 and -1683234 Gj. In addition, the global warming potential is reduced due to the reduction of landfills, reduced transportation and fuel consumption, improved equipment, and energy recovery in the second scenario. In general, environmental performance in the second scenario will be improved if appropriate action is taken. Reducing landfill and greenhouse gases, increasing recycling, etc., are the main reasons. Although incineration reduces landfilling in Saravan, it is still the proper design of the landfill, and energy utilization from it provides a favorable life cycle of waste management based on the second scenario. Moreover, the use of waste incineration is justified only if pollution and energy recovery standards are respected. Modifying the components and capacity of each disposal option produces new results. In this context, it is suggested to use alternative models.