Systematic review of environmental and human health risk assessments in municipal solid waste management

Abstract Effective risk assessment is critical for ensuring safe and sustainable municipal solid waste (MSW) management, supporting data-driven decision-making and regulatory compliance by identifying hazards, evaluating their impacts, and guiding targeted mitigation strategies. This study uses the PRISMA method to systematically review 72 studies published in the past decade on risk assessments for various MSW facilities, providing a comprehensive overview of current practices while identifying key trends, gaps, and opportunities for improvement. Results indicate that approximately 60% of environmental assessments identified risks, with over half focusing on human health. While diverse MSW facilities, including dumpsites, composting, incineration, energy-from-waste (EfW), and recycling, were investigated, landfills accounted for 49% of the reviewed studies, underscoring their global prevalence. The findings emphasize the need for continuous pollution monitoring, even in facilities initially deemed low-risk, and highlight the importance of a standardized methodology that integrates analytical tools with statistical software to address inconsistencies in risk assessment indices. Such standardization would enhance mitigation effectiveness, support evidence-based policymaking, and optimize resource allocation, ultimately fostering safer and more sustainable MSW management systems. Graphical abstract