Contribution of Municipal Solid Waste Management to Decarbonization in Laos

Abstract

This study used the AIM/CGE [Laos] model to assess contribution of sustainable municipal solid waste management (MSW) to decarbonization in Laos by introducing a “waste-to-sources” approach including policies such as increasing the waste collection rate and solid waste recycling, which uses waste as energy. In Laos, common practices for handling solid wastes are direct dumping and open burning, and a government report (MONRE, 2022) on the state of pollution in Laos has noted that along with from road transport emissions, which are a main source of urban air pollution, improper waste disposal also threatens urban air quality in the main cities of Laos. Our model sets two scenarios: a business as usual (BaU) scenario in which waste dumping practices before treatment by households remain unchanged in the future, and a countermeasures (CM) scenario in which direct waste dumping decreases significantly under the assumption of the waste collection rate reaching 100% by 2050. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from MSW management under the BaU scenario increase by a factor of nearly seven by 2050. However, by introducing MSW recycling, GHG emissions can be reduced to 93% in 2050 compared to those of the BaU scenario. An increase in recycling rates will provide more recycled materials to the production sector, which will result in decreased GHG emissions in the sectors to which the recycled materials are provided. In the recycling sector, however, the result will be an increase in energy-related carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. To achieve decarbonization in Laos, performing material recycling through energy-efficient processes will be important.