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Sustainability assessment of municipal solid waste management in Sri Lanka: problems and prospects

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Abstract

Solid waste disposal in Sri Lanka has been assessed using environmental, economic, and social indicators, based on a life cycle approach. The existing situation of open dumping in Sri Lanka was compared with that of a sanitary landfill with gas recovery, since the latter is anticipated to constitute an initial step towards sustainable development. The results revealed the extent to which sanitary landfills with gas recovery systems could contribute to reducing environmental impacts such as global warming potential, acidification potential, and eutrophication potential. Assessment of life cycle cost and damage to human health also showed results in favour of sanitary landfills with gas recovery system. The results obtained quantify the sustainability benefits of the proposed option for solid waste management, and can be useful for justifying policy measures that encourage the replacement of open dumping with sanitary landfills.

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Acknowledgments

Research grant from the Joint Graduate School of Energy and Environment is acknowledged. The authors would like to thank the Solid Waste Management Research Unit, University of Peradeniya and Kandy Municipal Council, Solid Waste Management Authority (Western Province), Sri Lanka for providing necessary information and data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Joint Graduate School of Energy and Environment, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, 126 Pracha-Uthit Road, Bangmod, Tungkru, Bangkok, 10140, Thailand

    S. N. M. Menikpura, Shabbir H. Gheewala & Sébastien Bonnet

  2. Center for Energy Technology and Environment, Ministry of Education, Bangkok, Thailand

    S. N. M. Menikpura, Shabbir H. Gheewala & Sébastien Bonnet

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  1. S. N. M. Menikpura
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  2. Shabbir H. Gheewala
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  3. Sébastien Bonnet
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Correspondence to Shabbir H. Gheewala.

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Menikpura, S.N.M., Gheewala, S.H. & Bonnet, S. Sustainability assessment of municipal solid waste management in Sri Lanka: problems and prospects. J Mater Cycles Waste Manag 14, 181–192 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-012-0055-z

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