Life Cycle CO₂ from the Waste Practices of Tambon Municipalities in Chiang Rai, Thailand

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the life cycle CO₂ (LCCO₂) of different waste management practices from tambon municipalities (local administrative organizations) in Chiang Rai, Thailand. “Tambon Municipality A” (TM-A) refers to a tambon municipality that used open dumping for final disposal. Two others, TM-B and TM-C, used small-scale incineration. The difference between the latter two is the waste collection method prior to delivery to the incinerator. TM-B used a waste compaction truck which had a greater capacity than the pickup truck used in TM-C. Finally, TM-D used mechanical biological treatment (MBT) for waste treatment and disposal. A waste composition investigation was also conducted for use in estimating GHG emissions. In parallel, waste mass flows, fossil fuel consumption and electricity consumption in the waste management process were also investigated. The LCCO₂ results show that the tambon municipality that used open dumping had the greatest GHG emissions while the municipality using MBT showed negative GHG emissions. The GHG emissions offset from TM-D is from utilizing compost and refuse-derived fuel (RDF). These results could be used to support other municipalities, waste operators or stakeholders in selecting appropriate modes of waste management from the perspective of GHG emissions reduction to reach national carbon neutrality and net zero targets.