Evaluation of MSW management practices in Portugal using Life Cycle Assessment

Abstract

This paper describes a case study where the evolution of MSW management practices for three municipalities in Portugal were analyzed using the Life Cycle Assessment technique. This evolution was mainly due to legislative pressures that led to changes in MSW collection and treatment or disposal systems implemented between 1990 and 2000. The municipalities participating in the study were Porto, Maia and Gondomar, all part of LIPOR, the intermunicipal entity responsible for the MSW management of 8 municipalities in the Porto region. Environmental burdens from these two management scenarios were calculated based on an inventory model developed by White et al. (1995), using some on-site specific parameters related with the system's operation conditions. Results show the advantage of the 2000 practices, both in terms of energy consumptio and emissions of gases with greenhouse effect.