Transition of greenhouse gas emission reduction from the management of municipal solid waste in Surabaya, Indonesia: Assessment on past and future prospective conditions

Abstract

The government of Indonesia is firmly committed to mitigate climate change in various sectors, including municipal solid waste (MSW) management. Several improvements have been made since the implementation of the national policy and strategy for MSW management. However, the impact of the changes on greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction has yet to be revealed. Within the life cycle assessment (LCA) framework, this study investigated the GHG emissions transition in Surabaya before and after the amelioration by taking 2020 as the baseline. Further prospective enhancement by following national policy guidance has also been assessed. The results indicate that the installment of the Waste to Energy (WtE) plant decreased emissions from 1,004,951.5 tons CO 2-eq to 430,839.6 tons CO 2-eq. Recycling will provide further reduction of as much as 22.0 % whenever a 30 % recycling rate is reached. Meanwhile, RDF production with a capacity of 210 tons of waste/day will give 45.2 % additional emissions depletion. To achieve low-carbon MSW management, concern about waste separation needs to be anticipated by providing more Intermediate Treatment Facility (ITF) and shifting the waste collection method. Additionally, enforcement of related legislation systems and education for the community are indivisible.