Assessment of solid waste generation and greenhouse gas emission potential in Yangon city, Myanmar

• Published in: Journal of material cycles and waste management Vol. 20; no. 3; pp. 1397 - 1408
• Main Authors: Tun, Maw Maw, Juchelková, Dagmar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo Springer Japan 01.07.2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Carbon dioxide; Civil Engineering; Climate change; Developing countries; Disposal sites; Dumping; Emission analysis; Emissions; Engineering; Environmental impact; Environmental Management; Greenhouse effect; Greenhouse gases; Household wastes; Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; LDCs; Original Article; Population density; Population growth; Recycling; Solid wastes; Urbanization; Waste disposal; Waste management; Waste management industry; Waste Management/Waste Technology; Myanmar (Burma); Greenhouse gas emission; Recycling; Waste disposal; Solid waste generation; Transportation
• ISSN: 1438-4957; 1611-8227
• DOI: 10.1007/s10163-017-0697-y

Due to booming economy, growing population and rapid urbanization, solid waste generation in the cities of developing countries has significantly increased. Yangon is the largest and most densely populated city, with over five million residents in Myanmar. Open dumping is the major waste disposal method and recycling sector remains at an early development stage. With increasing waste generation, current waste management activities in Yangon have significant environmental impacts. Therefore, the study developed two linear models to predict annual solid waste generation, regarding per capita waste generation, population growth scenarios, literacy rates and gross domestic products. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Institute for Global Environmental Strategies calculation methods were used for greenhouse gas (GHG) emission prediction from recycling, waste transportation and final disposal sites (FDSs). As a result, the total annual waste generation and GHG emission in 2015 may double over the next decade. Two major FDSs, Htawe Chaung and Hteinpin, may contribute waste disposal of 272–797 kilotons per year and emit 177–518 Gg of CO 2 -eq per year by 2025. The assessment of annual solid waste generation and GHG emission potential may offer advantages in assisting development of waste management plans in Yangon.