Comparing transport emissions and impacts for energy recovery from domestic waste (EfW): centralised and distributed disposal options for two UK Counties

Lucy Bastin, David Longden

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Many local authorities (LAs) are currently working to reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) sent to landfill. The recovery of energy from waste (EfW) can assist in meeting both of these objectives. The choice of an EfW policy combines spatial and non-spatial decisions which may be handled using Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This paper addresses the impact of transporting MSW to EfW facilities, analysed as part of a larger decision support system designed to make an overall policy assessment of centralised (large-scale) and distributed (local-scale) approaches. Custom-written ArcMap extensions are used to compare centralised versus distributed approaches, using shortest-path routing based on expected road speed. Results are intersected with 1-kilometre grids and census geographies for meaningful maps of cumulative impact. Case studies are described for two counties in the United Kingdom (UK); Cornwall and Warwickshire. For both case study areas, centralised scenarios generate more traffic, fuel costs and emitted carbon per tonne of MSW processed.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)492-503
Number of pages12
JournalComputers, Environment and Urban Systems
Volume33
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2009

Bibliographical note

NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Computers, Environment and Urban Systems. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Bastin, Lucy and Longden, David (2009). Comparing transport emissions and impacts for energy recovery from domestic waste (EfW): centralised and distributed disposal options for two UK Counties. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, 33 (6), pp. 492-503. DOI 10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2009.05.003

Keywords

  • EfW
  • GIS
  • routing
  • Dijkstra
  • transport
  • MCA
  • MCDA

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