Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Solid Waste Management Systems in African Countries: A Systematic Review

Document Type : Review Article(s)

Authors

1 Department of Geography and Environmental Management, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria

2 Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria

3 Department of Physical Sciences Education, Modibbo Adama University, Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria

4 Department of Social and Environmental Forestry, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

5 Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Drexel University, Drexel, Philadelphia, 19104, USA

6 Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Federal Polytechnic Offa, Kwara State, Nigeria

10.34172/jaehr.1306

Abstract

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a vital tool for evaluating the environmental burden of solid waste. This study investigated the outcomes of selected studies that applied the LCA methodology in assessing the environmental consequences of solid waste management (SWM) systems in Africa. Thirteen process-based LCA studies on SWM were reviewed, drawing from established criteria in databases such as SCOPUS, Elsevier, and Google Scholar. These studies were distributed across various African countries, with three conducted in Mauritius and Nigeria each, two in Zimbabwe and South Africa each, and one in Tanzania, Ghana, and Uganda, respectively. The evaluated parameters included aspects such as goal and scope, functional unit, system boundary, impact assessment categories, and sensitivity analysis. The findings revealed that majority of the studies employed similar waste management scenarios to determine the most environment-friendly, yet they differed considerably in some parameters. Climate change and global warming were the most assessed impact categories. Municipal solid waste (MSW) and plastic waste were the leading waste categories. MSW typically comprises paper, bottles, metal, plastics, glass, organics, and mixed waste proportions. The study also stated that the lack of reliable data on solid waste was a significant challenge faced by African countries in LCA studies. The paper’s findings highlighted that a significant number of the studies, particularly in Nigeria, did not incorporate sensitivity analysis into their assessments, a crucial component for result interpretation. Consequently, the study emphasizes the importance of conducting more LCA research studies in African countries to produce pertinent data on SWM.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

  1. Adipah S, Kwame ON. A novel introduction of municipal solid waste management. J Environ Sci Public Health. 2019;3(2):147-57.
  2. Hoornweg D, Bhada-Tata P. What a Waste: A Global Review of Solid Waste Management. Urban Development Series. Washington, DC: World Bank; 2012.
  3. Municipal Solid Waste [Internet]. 2016. Available from: https://archive.epa.gov/. Accessed November 6, 2021.
  4. Medina M. Solid Wastes, Poverty and the Environment in Developing Country Cities: Challenges and Opportunities. WIDER Working Paper No. 2010/23. Helsinki: The United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER); 2010.
  5. BioEnergy Consult. Powering a Greener Future [Internet]. Available from: https://www.bioenergyconsult.com/solid-waste-nigeria/. Accessed March 27, 2021.
  6. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Africa Waste Management Outlook. Nairobi, Kenya: UNEP; 2018. Available from: https://wedocs.unep.org/20.500.11822/25514.
  7. Ramesh S, Usman A, Usman A, Divakar BP. Municipal solid waste management in Bangalore and the concept of mini biogas plant in urban localities. In: 2013 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC). San Jose, CA: IEEE; 2013. p. 468-73. doi: 1109/ghtc.2013.6713731.
  8. Basu R. Solid waste management: a model study. SIES Journal of Management. 2009;6(2):22-4.
  9. Yadav P, Samadder SR. Life cycle assessment of solid waste management options: a review. Recent Res Sci Technol. 2014;6(1):113-6.
  10. Bahauddin KM, Uddin MH. Prospect of solid waste situation and an approach of Environmental Management Measure (EMM) model for sustainable solid waste management: case study of Dhaka city. J Environ Sci Nat Resour. 2012;5(1):99-111.
  11. Buah WK, Cunliffe AM, Williams PT. Characterization of products from the pyrolysis of municipal solid waste. Process Saf Environ Prot. 2007;85(5):450-7. doi: 1205/psep07024.
  12. Miandad R, Barakat MA, Aburiazaiza AS, Rehan M, Ismail IMI, Nizami AS. Effect of plastic waste types on pyrolysis liquid oil. Int Biodeterior Biodegradation. 2017;119:239-52. doi: 1016/j.ibiod.2016.09.017.
  13. Williams PT. Waste Treatment and Disposal. London: John Wiley & Sons; 2005.
  14. Komakech AJ, Zurbrügg C, Miito GJ, Wanyama J, Vinnerås B. Environmental impact from vermicomposting of organic waste in Kampala, Uganda. J Environ Manage. 2016;181:395-402. doi: 1016/j.jenvman.2016.06.028.
  15. Mbohwa C, Manjera G. An environmental assessment of the life cycle of the plastic carrier bag in Zimbabwe. Adv Mater Res. 2007;18-19:501-8. doi: 4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.18-19.501.
  16. Foolmaun RK, Ramjeawon T. Life cycle assessment (LCA) of PET bottles and comparative LCA of three disposal options in Mauritius. Int J Environ Waste Manag. 2008;2(1-2):125-38. doi: 1504/ijewm.2008.016997.
  17. Foolmaun RK, Ramjeeawon T. Disposal of post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles: comparison of five disposal alternatives in the small island state of Mauritius using a life cycle assessment tool. Environ Technol. 2012;33(4-6):563-72. doi: 1080/09593330.2011.586055.
  18. Ojoawo SO, Bosu JS, Oyekanmi OA. Characterization of environmental impact indices of solid wastes in Surulere Local Government Area, Nigeria with GaBi5 LCA modeling technique. Int J Modern Eng Res. 2014;4(9):41-9.
  19. Vossberg C, Mason-Jones K, Cohen B. An energetic life cycle assessment of C&D waste and container glass recycling in Cape Town, South Africa. Resour Conserv Recycl. 2014;88:39-49. doi: 1016/j.resconrec.2014.04.009.
  20. Ogundipe FO, Jimoh OD. Life cycle assessment of municipal solid waste management in Minna, Niger State, Nigeria. Int J Environ Res. 2015;9(4):1305-14.
  21. Rajcoomar A, Ramjeawon T. Life cycle assessment of municipal solid waste management scenarios on the small island of Mauritius. Waste Manag Res. 2017;35(3):313-24. doi: 1177/0734242x16679883.
  22. Balogun-Adeleye RM, Longe EO, Aiyesimoju KO. Environmental assessment of municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal options: a case study of Olushosun landfill, Lagos State. IOP Conf Ser Mater Sci Eng. 2019;640(1):012091. doi: 1088/1757-899x/640/1/012091.
  23. Nhubu T, Muzenda E. Determination of the least impactful municipal solid waste management option in Harare, Zimbabwe. Processes. 2019;7(11):785. doi: 3390/pr7110785.
  24. Yong K. A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of the Informal and Formal Recycling Procedures of Mobile Phones: A Case Study of Ghana and Closing the Loop. Environment Resource Management Research Project. 2020.
  25. Chitaka TY, Russo V, von Blottnitz H. In pursuit of environmentally friendly straws: a comparative life cycle assessment of five straw material options in South Africa. Int J Life Cycle Assess. 2020;25(9):1818-32. doi: 1007/s11367-020-01786-w.
  26. Richard EN, Hilonga A, Machunda RL, Njau KN. Life cycle analysis of potential municipal solid wastes management scenarios in Tanzania: the case of Arusha city. Sustain Environ Res. 2021;31(1):1-13. doi: 1186/s42834-020-00075-3.
  27. Joint Research Centre. Supporting Environmentally Sound Decisions for Construction and Demolition (C&D) Waste Management: A Practical Guide to Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability; 2011.
  28. Menegaki M, Damigos D. A review on current situation and challenges of construction and demolition waste management. Curr Opin Green Sustain Chem. 2018;13:8-15. doi: 1016/j.cogsc.2018.02.010.
  29. Cucchiella F, D’Adamo I, Lenny Koh SC, Rosa P. Recycling of WEEEs: an economic assessment of present and future e-waste streams. Renew Sustain Energy Rev. 2015;51:263-72. doi: 1016/j.rser.2015.06.010.
  30. Cobbing M. Not in Our Backyard: Uncovering the Hidden Flows of E-Waste. Greenpeace International; 2008.
  31. Serge Kubanza N, Simatele MD. Sustainable solid waste management in developing countries: a study of institutional strengthening for solid waste management in Johannesburg, South Africa. J Environ Plan Manag. 2020;63(2):175-88. doi: 1080/09640568.2019.1576510.
  32. Godfrey L, Oelofse S. Historical review of waste management and recycling in South Africa. Resources. 2017;6(4):57. doi: 3390/resources6040057.
  33. Couth R, Trois C. Cost effective waste management through composting in Africa. Waste Manag. 2012;32(12):2518-25. doi: 1016/j.wasman.2012.05.042.
  34. Uwadiegwu BO, Chukwu KE. Strategies for effective urban solid waste management in Nigeria. Eur Sci J. 2013;9(8):296-308.
  35. Solomon UU. The state of solid waste management in Nigeria. Waste Manag. 2009;29(10):2787-8. doi: 1016/j.wasman.2009.06.030.
  36. Pires A, Martinho G. Waste hierarchy index for circular economy in waste management. Waste Manag. 2019;95:298-305. doi: 1016/j.wasman.2019.06.014.
  37. Guidelines for National Waste Management Strategies: Moving from Challenges to Opportunities. 2013. Available from: https://cwm.unitar.org/publications/UNEP_UNITAR_NWMS_English.pdf.
  38. Gharfalkar M, Court R, Campbell C, Ali Z, Hillier G. Analysis of waste hierarchy in the European waste directive 2008/98/EC. Waste Manag. 2015;39:305-13. doi: 1016/j.wasman.2015.02.007.
  39. Waste Directive. Art 3 (17). [Internet]. 2008. Available from: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudr/2008/98/contents. Accessed December 11, 2021.
  40. Park JY, Chertow MR. Establishing and testing the “reuse potential” indicator for managing wastes as resources. J Environ Manage. 2014;137:45-53. doi: 1016/j.jenvman.2013.11.053.
  41. Iacovidou E, Millward-Hopkins J, Busch J, Purnell P, Velis CA, Hahladakis JN, et al. A pathway to circular economy: Developing a conceptual framework for complex value assessment of resources recovered from waste. J Clean Prod. 2017;168:1279-88. doi: 1016/j.jclepro.2017.09.002.
  42. European Union. European Commission, ‘Making Sustainable Consumption and Production a Reality: A Guide for Business and Policy-Makers to Life Cycle Thinking and Assessment’. 2010. Available from: https://eplca.jrc.ec.europa.-eu/uploads/LCT-Making-sustainable-consumption-and-production-a-reality-A-guide-for-business-and-policy-makers-to-Life-Cycle-Thinking-and-Assessment.pdf.
  43. African Union. Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want. African Union Commission; 2015. Available from: https://www.un.org/en/africa/osaa/pdf/au/agenda2063-first10yearimplementation.pdf. Accessed August 19, 2020.
  44. International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ISO 14040: Environmental Management: Life Cycle Assessment; Principles and Framework. Geneva: ISO; 2006.
  45. Guinée JB, Heijungs R, Huppes G, Zamagni A, Masoni P, Buonamici R, et al. Life cycle assessment: past, present, and future. Environ Sci Technol. 2011;45(1):90-6. doi: 1021/es101316v.
  46. Karkour S, Rachid S, Maaoui M, Lin CC, Itsubo N. Status of life cycle assessment (LCA) in Africa. Environments. 2021;8(2):10. doi: 3390/environments8020010.
  47. Alhazmi H, Almansour FH, Aldhafeeri Z. Plastic waste management: a review of existing life cycle assessment studies. Sustainability. 2021;13(10):5340. doi: 3390/su13105340.
  48. Arzoumanidis I, D’Eusanio M, Raggi A, Petti L. Functional unit definition criteria in life cycle assessment and social life cycle assessment: a discussion. In: Traverso M, Petti L, Zamagni A, ed. Perspectives on Social LCA. Cham: Springer; 2020. p. 1-10. doi: 1007/978-3-030-01508-4_1.
  49. Cleary J. Life cycle assessments of municipal solid waste management systems: a comparative analysis of selected peer-reviewed literature. Environ Int. 2009;35(8):1256-66. doi: 1016/j.envint.2009.07.009.
  50. Martínez-Blanco J, Lehmann A, Muñoz P, Antón A, Traverso M, Rieradevall J, et al. Application challenges for the social life cycle assessment of fertilizers within life cycle sustainability assessment. J Clean Prod. 2014;69:34-48. doi: 1016/j.jclepro.2014.01.044.
  51. Odey G, Adelodun B, Kim SH, Choi KS. Status of environmental life cycle assessment (LCA): a case study of South Korea. Sustainability. 2021;13(11):6234. doi: 3390/su13116234.
  52. Mercante IT, Bovea MD, Ibáñez-Forés V, Arena AP. Life cycle assessment of construction and demolition waste management systems: a Spanish case study. Int J Life Cycle Assess. 2012;17(2):232-41. doi: 1007/s11367-011-0350-2.
  53. Banar M, Cokaygil Z, Ozkan A. Life cycle assessment of solid waste management options for Eskisehir, Turkey. Waste Manag. 2009;29(1):54-62. doi: 1016/j.wasman.2007.12.006.
  54. Hong J, Li X, Zhaojie C. Life cycle assessment of four municipal solid waste management scenarios in China. Waste Manag. 2010;30(11):2362-9. doi: 1016/j.wasman.2010.03.038.
  55. Parkes O, Lettieri P, Bogle IDL. Life cycle assessment of integrated waste management systems for alternative legacy scenarios of the London Olympic Park. Waste Manag. 2015;40:157-66. doi: 1016/j.wasman.2015.03.017.
  56. Wäger PA, Hischier R. Life cycle assessment of post-consumer plastics production from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) treatment residues in a Central European plastics recycling plant. Sci Total Environ. 2015;529:158-67. doi: 1016/j.scitotenv.2015.05.043.
  57. Khandelwal H, Thalla AK, Kumar S, Kumar R. Life cycle assessment of municipal solid waste management options for India. Bioresour Technol. 2019;288:121515. doi: 1016/j.biortech.2019.121515.
  58. Rigamonti L, Grosso M, Møller J, Martinez Sanchez V, Magnani S, Christensen TH. Environmental evaluation of plastic waste management scenarios. Resour Conserv Recycl. 2014;85:42-53. doi: 1016/j.resconrec.2013.12.012.
  59. Laurent A, Bakas I, Clavreul J, Bernstad A, Niero M, Gentil E, et al. Review of LCA studies of solid waste management systems – part I: lessons learned and perspectives. Waste Manag. 2014;34(3):573-88. doi: 1016/j.wasman.2013.10.045.
Journal of Advances in Environmental Health Research
Volume 11, Issue 4
September 2023
Pages 194-204

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics