Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Potential in Waste Sector from Municipal Solid Waste Disposal in Metropolitan Bangkok

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from municipal solid waste disposal in Metropolitan Bangkok and its mitigation potential from the perspective of the waste sector. The evaluation was performed by comparing GHG emissions in three scenarios: business-as-usual (BAU). implementation of the Bangkok solid waste management plan, and adoption of the national GHG mitigation policy proposed for the waste sector in Thailand. Estimation of GHG emissions was carried out following Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) methodology. In 2019, GHG emissions from solid waste management in Metropolitan Bangkok under BAU were determined to be 1,067.66 GgCO₂-eq and they are expected to rise to an estimated 1,258.81 GgCO₂-eq in 2032 in the BAU scenario. The implementation of solid waste management following Bangkok’s solid waste management plan would reduce the emissions to 863.01 GgCO₂-eq. Adoption of the national GHG mitigation policy in terms of increasing methane recovery from landfill disposal and increasing waste treatment through composting would yield total emissions of 633.01 GgCO₂-eq, a 49.7% reduction compared to the emissions in the BAU scenario in 2032.