Techno-economic Assessment of Recycling Obsolete Two-Wheelers in ASEAN: The Case of Myanmar and Cambodia

The increase in the demand for two-wheelers in Myanmar has led to a significant increase in the import of used two-wheelers from Asian countries. The practical life span of two-wheelers newly reused in Myanmar is therefore quite short, resulting in the quick and significant generation of end-of-life vehicles. While there has been an increase in the number of studies based on developing waste estimation models, the scenario where reused products are imported in a given country has not been given significant attention. A model is required to account for the two-wheelers imported for reuse by second and third owners in Myanmar, considering the difference in life span of the two-wheelers. In a scenario analysis the number of obsolete two-wheelers imported for reuse in Myanmar were considered during the period 2010–2040. A population balance model modified was used in the scenario analysis. Through the analyses, it was estimated that the number of discarded two-wheelers in Myanmar in 2040 will be in the range of 742,000 to 1,784,000 units, which is 32–73 times more than in 2020. By conducting the techno-economic analysis, the policy implications in Myanmar were presented and then the uncertainty in estimating the number of obsolete two-wheelers was discussed based on the comparison of the case in Myanmar and Cambodia.