Sustainable Organic Waste Management in Small Communities: Evidence from Life Cycle-Based Evaluations

Organic waste or biowaste is the largest component in municipal solid waste and, therefore, one of the main landfilled waste fractions with the consequent issue of greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, it represents a valuable resource that can be harnessed and returned to productive use in the framework of a circular economy approach, according to the EU Waste Framework Directive. This paper presents the results of an environmental and economic life cycle assessment of specific organic waste management actions in two reference territories representative of “small communities”, paving the way for a deeper understanding of the benefits that can be gained by means of local composting. Life cycle evaluation results showed that improvement potentialities are high, especially in terms of environmental impacts and externalities, confirming life cycle-based evaluations as very valuable tools for decision-makers to better understand the benefits and costs of waste management policies. The results also confirmed that, both from an environmental and economic point of view, a “local” waste management system, in which transportation is reduced, is particularly strategic, as well as a “tailored” management system that affects other specific territorial hotspots, such as the temporary storage of waste.