Optimal strategies for the recovery of material and energy from MSW

This paper reports the results of the first stage of the National project “Comparative analysis of strategies for material and energy recovery from waste” devoted to the optimisation of material and energy recovery activities within integrated waste management systems. During the first year of activity, the different recovery strategies have been defined, and for each of them, the corresponding plant requirements, the border of the system, the data requirements, the hypotheses adopted and the mass flows. Special attention was given to the role of different collection systems (kerbside, bring-up, mono-material, multi-material) and their corresponding interception levels. The definition of four scenarios of overall source separation is the premise for the implementation of energetic, environmental and economic balances that will be part of the second stage of the project, currently underway. Both material recovery and energy recovery activities will be deeply evaluated, with a Life-Cycle-Assessment perspective, always taking into consideration the impact on the environment related to the waste management activities in comparison with the avoided impacts related to the saving of raw materials and primary energy.