Integrated sustainability assessment of municipal solid waste treatment systems with material recovery and compost production

Abstract This study presents an integrated sustainability assessment, utilizing a lifecycle model, of a treatment system that incorporates a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) and a composting plant, designed to process mixed municipal solid waste in Sahiwal, Pakistan. The technical efficiency evaluation for the trommel screens was found to be 81.8, 85.7, and 94.7% for 9, 90, and 6 mm screens, respectively. The environmental assessment showed the reduction of impact for climate change, photochemical ozone formation, fine particulate matter formation, and terrestrial acidification from 1.69E+01 to -1.85E+02 kg CO 2 , 1.21E-01 to -3.49E-01 kg NOx eq., 5.14E-02 to -1.23E-01 kg PM2.5 eq., and 1.47E-01 to -4.46E-01 kg SO 2 eq., respectively. The most significant contribution to the impact was the MRF process, primarily because of its electricity consumption. Lifecycle costing (LCC) revealed an economic burden of $152.16/ton for the MRF process phase, accounting for 61.1% of the total LCC of $249.40/ton. The dominant contribution of electricity was 36.5% of the total operational and maintenance costs. The life cycle working environment identified areas requiring improvement to enhance conditions. Overall, the treatment plant demonstrates sustainability, with opportunities for improvement through renewable energy use and better workplace conditions. The study provided a comprehensive sustainability assessment of the MRF process at the unit level, coupled with a technical analysis of the recovery and treatment system. The integrated Social Lifecycle Assessment (SLCA) provides valuable insights for local recycling and waste management industries, enabling them to optimize operations while maintaining sustainable practices with minimal environmental and social impacts.