Waste Management Systems in Europe

Waste Stream

Type of trash and where it goes (food, plastic, paper).

Sector:

Where it comes from (homes, schools, factories).

Waste Fractions:

Materials that make up the trash (metal, paper, glass).

quantity of waste types

construction, mining, industrial, households, agriculture

Climate change + trends 

US/Europe: Less GHG emissions, better landfill control with gas engines. Southeast Asia: GHG emissions rising.

Integrated Waste Management System

Sources: Municipal solid waste (MSW) and industrial waste.

Treatment path: Sorting → Reuse/Recycle → Compost/Digestion → Incineration → Landfill.

Imports/Exports: Waste traded between countries for processing.

Outputs & Impacts: Recycling avoids GHGs; landfills, transport & burning emit GHGs.

Biggest GHG Contributors (Worst → Best)

Uncontrolled landfills, engineered landfills, incineration (no energy recovery), incineration (energy recovery), collection, anaerobic digestion, compost, recycling

Climate mitigating solutions 

Recover energy from landfills, Separate food waste, Anaerobic digestion of food & paper, Energy from waste (heat + electricity) replacing fossil fuels, Composting (nutrient recovery), Recycle x3, Waste prevention (avoid production)

Life Cycle Assessment

Used to measure total impact of a product from start to end. 

Steps: Raw material extraction → Manufacture → Distribution → Use → Waste management.

Aspect/Emission: Pollutants released into air.

Impacts: What those emissions do (climate change, pollution, health).

LCA Boundary: Defines what stages are included in the study.

Recycling Loops

Closed-loop: Recycled into same product (glass→glass). Best option; saves raw materials & energy

Open-loop: Recycled into a new product (plastic bottle→carpet).

Single Stream Collection

All recyclables go into one bin (paper, plastic, metal, glass mixed). Easier for people, harder to sort later- contamination risk 

3 types of landfills

hazardous (chemicals or toxic) , non-hazardous (regular household/business waste), inert (no change like rocks) 

Environmental challenges of landfills

Emissions over long periods, Diffuse GHG emissions, Leachate contaminating water, organic gases

Landfill Gas Management 

Vented, flared, gas engine (only one not banned)

Incineration Inputs

Waste, fuel, chemicals.

Incineration Outputs

Heat, electricity, water vapor, fly ash, bottom ash, air emissions.

Incineration Temperatures

Municipal = lower, Hazardous = higher.

District Heating Systems

Burn waste - heat water - send through pipes - steam turbine - electricity + heating. Hot water circulates through city pipes; leftover heat warms homes. Energy from waste replaces fossil fuels but is not renewable

Recycling and Compost Benefits

Glass recycling saves ~417 kg CO per ton of glass. Compost: With oxygen → soil nutrients. Anaerobic Digestion: Without oxygen → biogas + fertilizer.

Difference between waste stream and waste fractions?

A waste stream is the type and path of waste — like food waste going to compost or plastic going to recycling — while waste fractions are the materials that make up that waste, such as paper, metal, glass, or plastic.

Which region is improving in GHG reduction?

US & Europe

Closed-loop or open-loop recycling — which is better?

Closed-Loop because It recycles a material back into the same product and this saves more raw materials and energy and keeps quality high.

Name 3 landfill problems.

Greenhouse gas emissions, Leachate contamination — polluted liquid can leak and contaminate water sources, Diffuse organic gases — cause air pollution and contribute to climate change

What does LCA stand for?

Life Cycle Assesment It measures the total environmental impact of a product or process — from the start to the end of its life.Assessment

How does Copenhagen use district heating?

Burn waste- Heat water- Send through pipes- Steam turbine- Electricity + heating

Which landfill takes construction debris?

Inert Landfill