Benefits from GIS Based Modelling for Municipal Solid Waste Management

Waste management issues are coming to the forefront of the global environmental agenda at an increasing frequency, as population and consumption growth result in increasing quantities of waste. Moreover, technological development often results in consumer products of complex composition, including hazardous compounds, which pose extra challenges to the waste management systems and environmental protection at the end of their useful life, which may often be fairly short (e.g. cell-phones and electronic gadgets). These end-of-pipe challenges are coupled with the deepening understanding that the Earth’s natural resources are finite by nature and their current exploitation rate unsustainable, even within a midterm perspective. The self-cleaning capacity of the Earth systems is often also viewed as a «natural resource» under stress, with climate change being the most pronounced expression of this risk. In the context of the above mentioned challenge a New Paradigm for waste management has emerged, shifting attention to resources efficiency and minimisation of environmental impacts throughout the life cycle of waste management, from waste prevention to safe disposal. This is best expressed, but not confined, in the relevant EU policy and legislation (e.g. the Thematic Strategy on the prevention and recycling of waste, the Thematic Strategy on the Sustainable Use of Natural Resources and the revised Waste Framework Directive, WFD-2008/98/EC). Especially the latter is of particular interest as it has a legally binding nature for all EU member states and sets a benchmark which is often also taken into consideration by the waste management systems of non-EU countries. The WFD reaffirms the need to move waste management higher in the so called “waste hierarchy”, preferring, in this order, prevention, reuse, recycling and energy recovery over disposal. Separate collection for dry recyclables in municipal solid waste (MSW) should be implemented while separate collection of biowaste should be promoted (although no specific legislative requirements are set) (Nash, 2009). Overall, EU and national waste management policies and legislation in many parts of the world are becoming increasingly demanding for the providers of these services, namely municipalities and their associations, demanding high recovery and recycling rates for a wide range of materials and goods, high diversion targets for the biodegradable fraction of the waste, advanced treatment processes, long after-care periods for existing and future landfills etc (COM, 2005; Lasaridi, 2009). Moreover, this increased level of service will need to be provided at the minimum possible cost, as the public will not be able to bear large