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<p>Inadequate waste management in Samoa, a Pacific small island state, has not only led to the accumulation of solid waste but also contributed climate change impacts. This study conducted a life-cycle assessment of Samoa’s existing municipal waste management system and explored alternative scenarios. The results indicate that Samoa’s baseline waste management scenario, which relies primarily on landfilling, significantly contributed to environmental degradation. Specifically, greenhouse gas emissions amounted to approximately 31&#xa0;kt CO<sub>2</sub> eq annually, while fossil fuel consumption from waste collection and transportation reached 295&#xa0;t Crude Oil eq. Alternative waste management scenarios involving a combination of sorting, recycling, composting, and incineration with energy recovery, diverted 68% of Upolu’s total waste from landfilling. This approach substantially reduced greenhouse emissions, with net totals of approximately −&#xa0;2&#xa0;kt CO<sub>2</sub> eq, as avoided emissions from energy recovery outweighed those generated during incineration. In addition, fossil fuel consumption was offset, with net totals of approximately −&#xa0;4,461 and −&#xa0;4,232&#xa0;t Crude Oil eq. These extreme negative values highlight the environmental benefits of incineration with energy recovery, which displaced fossil fuel in electricity generation. These findings demonstrate that an integrated system presents a potential solution for improving the sustainability of the existing waste management system.</p>

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Towards environmentally sustainable municipal solid waste management in Pacific small islands: a life-cycle assessment study in Samoa

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年7月17日

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  • Leone Theresa Penaia,
  • Sebastien Bonnet,
  • Shabbir H. Gheewala

摘要

Inadequate waste management in Samoa, a Pacific small island state, has not only led to the accumulation of solid waste but also contributed climate change impacts. This study conducted a life-cycle assessment of Samoa’s existing municipal waste management system and explored alternative scenarios. The results indicate that Samoa’s baseline waste management scenario, which relies primarily on landfilling, significantly contributed to environmental degradation. Specifically, greenhouse gas emissions amounted to approximately 31 kt CO2 eq annually, while fossil fuel consumption from waste collection and transportation reached 295 t Crude Oil eq. Alternative waste management scenarios involving a combination of sorting, recycling, composting, and incineration with energy recovery, diverted 68% of Upolu’s total waste from landfilling. This approach substantially reduced greenhouse emissions, with net totals of approximately − 2 kt CO2 eq, as avoided emissions from energy recovery outweighed those generated during incineration. In addition, fossil fuel consumption was offset, with net totals of approximately − 4,461 and − 4,232 t Crude Oil eq. These extreme negative values highlight the environmental benefits of incineration with energy recovery, which displaced fossil fuel in electricity generation. These findings demonstrate that an integrated system presents a potential solution for improving the sustainability of the existing waste management system.