The Solid Waste Context and Carbon Finance Influences for Developing Countries

1
The Solid Waste Context and Carbon Finance
Influences for Developing Countries

• Sandra Cointreau
• World Bank
• Solid Waste Management Advisor
• July 2005

2
Most disposal is by open dumping

• 0-10 safe disposal in Low Income Countries.
• 10-50 safe disposal in Middle Income Countries.
• 90-100 safe disposal in High Income Countries.

3
Frequent disposal issues in lower income
countries

• Disposal is by open dumping, usually with open
  burning.
• Waste pickers sort through the dumpsites for
  recyclables.
• Waste pickers are usually children or women of
  child-bearing age.

4
Intestinal Parasite Infection Among Waste Pickers

• 65 incidence in Bangkok, Thailand
• 98 incidence in Manila, Philippines (child waste
  pickers only)
• 97 incidence in Olinda, Brazil
• 92 incidence in Calcutta, India

5
Particulate Levels

• Up to 25 times Higher at open dumps than in
  nearby residential areas (Thailand, Philippines
  local studies)

6
Pulmonary Function

• 23 Dumpsite Workers with Abnormal Pulmonary
  Function. (India local study)
• 40 Dumpsite Waste Pickers with Abnormal
  Pulmonary Function. (Thailand local study)
• 53 Dumpsite Child Waste Pickers with Abnormal
  Pulmonary Function. (Philippines local study)

7
Blood Lead Levels

• 70 Dumpsite Children Pickers above WHO lead
  guideline -- children pickers mean lead was 2.5
  times higher than in control slum children.
  (Philippines local study)

8
Slides at Open Dumps

• Istanbul, Turkey
• 39 killed, 1993
• O Portino, Spain
• 1 killed, 1994
• Calcutta, India
• 2 killed, 1992
• Manila, the Philippines
• over 200 killed, 2000
• Bandung, Indonesia
• Over 200 killed, 2005

9
Animal Diseases

• Most dumpsites have foraging domestic animals.
• Slaughter waste and animal waste is eaten raw or
  recycled into animal and poultry feed leading to
  disease transmission.

10
Developing Country Waste Conditions are Different

• Waste quantities lower per capita.
• Waste character different in each category.
• Local temperatures, humidity, and rainfall
  levels usually higher.
• Waste management total costs lower, but many
  cost elements are equivalent (e.g., equipment,
  fuel, construction materials).

11
Waste Character in Developing Countries

• Vegetable/putrescible material 2-3 times higher
  -- 40 to 80 by weight.
• Recyclable paper, plastic, metal, glass 2-5
  times lower -- 5 to 15.
• Inert fines 2-5 times higher -- 20 to 40.
• Moisture content 2-4 times higher -- 40 to
  70.
• Density 2-3 times higher -- 300 to 400
  kg/cu.mtr in non-compaction collection truck

12
Unique Waste Issues in Developing Countries

• Calorific values are 2-3 times lower, e.g.,
  800 to 1,300 kcal/kg, versus over 2,200 to 2,600
  kcal/kg.
• Landfill biodegradation occurs much faster in
  warm humid climates, e.g., mostly over 3-10
  years, versus 6-20 years.

13
Waste Quantities

• MIXED URBAN WASTE -LARGE CITIES
• 
  kg/capita/day collection safe
  disposal
• Low Income 0.5 to 0.7 10-50
  0-10
• Middle Income 0.6 to 1.1 30-90
  20-60
• High Income 0.8 to 2.2 100
  90-100

14
Waste Management Costs (US/tonne)

• Low-Mid Income
  High Income
• Collection Costs 20-45
  60-120
• Transfer Costs 8-12
  15-25
• Sanitary Landfill Costs 6-15
  20-50
• Compost Costs 10-25
  25-50
• Anaerobic Digestion 30-50
  50-80
• Incineration Costs 70-120
  100-170
• revenues depend on local energy costs and
  special pricing for renewal energy, compost
  market demand, and demand for secondary materials.

15
Past Investments Few Successes

• Sanitary landfills were built, but municipal
  operations seldom maintained design expectations,
  many became open dumps.
• Compost plants were built, but local farmers
  could not pay enough to cover the higher costs of
  composting over landfill, most were closed.
• Incinerators were built, but local wastes did not
  have sufficient calorific value to sustain
  combustion, most were closed .

16
New Horizons with Carbon Funds

• World Bank manages carbon funds totaling over
  1billion, paying 4/tonne of avoided CO2
  (84/tonne of avoided methane expressed as C02
  equivalent).
• Carbon finance can be used for any technology
  that leads to carbon emission reduction/avoidance,
  including their energy offsets.
• Carbon financing provides hard currency
  motivation for operations to follow design
  because money is provided only for verified
  annual carbon emission reductions.
• Application can be made for systems implemented
  already, after Kyoto ratification.

17
Carbon Finance Opportunities

• Collection fuel offsets for improved vehicle
  fuel use maintenance, emission control
  improvements, or use of alternative fuels with
  low emissions.
• Transfer fuel offsets and vehicle emission
  reduction due to fewer vehicles traveling long
  distances to disposal/treatment (4-10 collection
  vehicles load 1 transfer vehicle).
• Recycling energy offsets from capturing
  inherent energy from original raw material and
  product production activities, versus reusing
  recyclable materials for production.

18
Carbon Finance Opportunities (tCO2e), tCO2eGHG
per tonne of solid waste)

• Baseline Sanitary landfill with no gas capture
  (3.67), 3.46 (analysis for organic fraction of
  waste only)
• Sanitary landfill with flaring (1.24), 1.04
• Sanitary landfill with flaring and energy offset
  
• (1.13), 0.98
• Compost (1.28), 0
• Anaerobic digestion and energy offset (0.39),
  lt0
• Incineration and energy offset (0), lt0

19
Complex Technology Choices

• Technology choices must be sustainable
  financially and easily operable by low-income
  municipalities.
• Holistic decision-making needs to consider all
  emissions, energy consumption, and costs from
  collection to final disposal.
• Life-cycle modeling of emissions, energy
  consumption, and costs is a useful tool to be
  applied to developing country use (e.g., USA EPA
  holistic decision model).

20
No Perfect Choices
L Low, M Medium, H High Red Color
Best
21
Issues to consider

• Compost, anaerobic digestion, incineration, and
  transfer give immediate carbon reductions.
• Compost and transfer very economic, anaerobic
  digestion and incineration are very costly.
• Sanitary landfill needs 4-6 years of waste
  buildup to over 10 m depth before gas capture,
  thus up to 30 leakage.
• Sanitary landfill is the least cost disposal
  option and always needed for residuals.

22
Obstacles to Success

• Qualifying for carbon funds is complex.
• Central government technical support to
  municipalities is useful to help them access
  carbon funds.
• Operating facilities well to obtain annual
  revenues from carbon funds requires skill.
• Private sector operators may be needed for their
  skills and adherence to contractual performance
  standards.
• Not all countries are able to attract private
  sector partners to due to investment and payment
  risks.

23
Contact for information

• scointreau_at_worldbank.org
• http//www.worldbank.org/urban/solid waste/
• Thank you for being here!