Municipal solid waste collection systems: An indicator to assess the reusability of products. Issue 9 (September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Degli Esposti, Anna; Magrini, Chiara; Bonoli, Alessandra
• Is Part Of: Waste management & research. Volume 39:Issue 9(2021)
• Page Start: 1200
• Page End: 1209
• Publication Date: 2021-09
• Subjects: Municipal solid waste -- reuse -- reusability -- life cycle assessment -- life cycle cost -- waste collection; Factory and trade waste -- Periodicals; Refuse and refuse disposal -- Periodicals; Municipal engineering -- Periodicals; Déchets industriels -- Périodiques; Déchets -- Élimination -- Périodiques; Génie urbain -- Périodiques; 628
• DOI: 10.1177/0734242X211038195
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0734-242X

Abstract

The paper illustrates a model to support waste management (WM) operators of municipal solid waste (MSW) services. This study proposes a framework to evaluate the potential of preparation for reuse (PfR) as strategy to jointly decrease social, environmental and economic impacts and meet the legal targets on waste management. As general indicators to evaluate the reusability of products do not exist yet, the aim of this study is the definition of a comprehensive indicator, which may be calculated for each product category by waste collection operators. The proposed reusability indicator includes one coefficient evaluating the potential for reuse, and three impact indicators for the assessment of social, environmental and economic performances. The indicator can be calculated by using real data, gathered by the waste collection operators in collaboration with reuse centres and referred to previous years. Hence, the proposed methodology allows waste collection operators to evaluate the potential consequences of the reuse strategy on their MSW collection system to monitor and disclose to public the impacts related to reuse activities, facilitating the achievement of sustainability in the WM sector. Graphical abstract: