Sustainable strategies for materials and energy recovery from municipal solid waste in small island states: a case study of Aruba.
Weekes, Colleen Mijts, Eric
Van Caneghem, Jo
Van Caneghem, Jo
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Keyword
Small island states
Waste management
Material flow analysis
Materials recovery
Waste-to-energy
Waste management
Material flow analysis
Materials recovery
Waste-to-energy
Location research
Date
2021
Language
English
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Abstract
The management of municipal solid waste (MSW) presents a perennial problem for small island states (SIS). Geographic isolation from key markets, narrow economic bases, as well as institutional shortcomings are key factors which stymie the development of critical waste management infrastructure. Given these specific challenges, strategies for improved MSW management cannot simply be translated from mainland contexts. This necessitates innovative approaches to ensure that interventions are sustainable and appropriate for the SIS in which they will be implemented. With a steadily growing population and a resource-intensive tourism sector, the island of Aruba exhibits several of the abovementioned characteristics. Located in the southern Caribbean, Aruba generates approximately 103,900 metric tonnes of MSW per annum; the majority of which is landfilled after minimal pre-treatment. While some materials are recovered from MSW for processing abroad, recycling remains in an incipient phase and there are significant opportunities for maximising the intrinsic value of the island’s waste. A baseline is first formulated to examine the operation and efficiency of Aruba’s current MSW management sector with focus placed on waste composition, volumes, mass flows and existing processing systems. Three novel strategies for increased materials and energy recovery are then investigated using material flow analysis. Results suggest that each proposed alternative can
substantially improve the current recycling rate of 11%. Given the sizeable share of biogenic wastes present in Aruba’s MSW, anaerobic digestion and composting figured prominently in scenario development. The analysis indicates that incineration with energy recovery, export for co-processing in neighbouring countries, and sustainable landfilling are all feasible options for the treatment and disposal of residual wastes in Aruba. When these technologies are compared on the basis of mass balance, incineration with energy recovery best achieves the objectives of landfill minimisation and resource recovery. The MFA results suggest that export for co-processing can potentially result in a 93% reduction in landfilling as compared to the status quo. While an overall recycling rate of 38% can be achieved even with the use of sustainable landfilling, this scenario presents the least compelling alternative for MSW management in Aruba.
Citation
Weekes, C., Mijts, E., Van Caneghem, J. (2021). Sustainable strategies for materials and energy recovery from municipal solid waste in small island states: a case study of Aruba. Proceedings of the 18th International Symposium on Waste Management and Sustainable Landfilling. 11th – 15th of October 2021.
Sponsorship
This research was conducted with the financial support of the European Union through the 11th European Development Fund (FED/2019/406-549) for the Sustainable Islands Solutions through Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (SISSTEM) project. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union
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URI
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14473/1034