Mathematical Models for Regional Solid Waste Management Development

Abstract

The mathematical methods of waste management assessment and software for various life cycle applications are widely used as one of the decision-making support tools in waste policy. This comparatively new approach to waste management planning offers an option for investigating the life cycle impact of solid waste management processes which generate anthropogenic impact on the environment, of which the most unfavorable is greenhouse gas emission. 

In the research a software application called WAMPS (waste management planning system) developed by the IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute within the Reco Baltic 21 Tech project has been used to create a better understanding about waste management processes and their produced impact on climate change. It is the first time when WAMPS software is applied for regional domestic waste management planning for the next seven-year period in the Baltic states, in this particular case for the Piejura region, which is one of the ten waste management planning regions in Latvia. The Piejura region includes one city of national level and nine districts, with the total area of about 5,300 sq. km and the number of inhabitants 153,899. In accordance with national legislation, responsibility for waste management organization has been delegated to local municipalities. 

In this study the solutions for elaboration of the Piejura region waste management strategy are based on those waste management processes which will produce the best environmental options. The main results of the research were obtained comparing various waste management scenarios in WAMPS: the existent situation in regional waste management, where more than 94% of domestic waste is landfilled; European Union framework demands according to Waste and Landfill directives; and the best technological solutions for the Piejura region based on local circumstances. The next phase of research will draw attention to the implementation and integration of the chosen technological solutions on the basis of economical solutions.