Environmental assessment of the MSW treatment from the transport point of view

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to point out some important elements that can be useful to minimize the impacts and the results can possibly inform business and policy makers about how to minimize the impacts associated to the municipal solid waste (MSW) collection. Design/methodology/approach – The present work faces with the problem of transport, placing attention to the relationship of emissions from scenarios that has been selected between real systems of management. Findings – The choices related to the typology of treatment has the same importance to the item concerning the correct localization of the plant for the implications related to the environmental pressure due to the transport of waste. Originality/value – An important aspect that has to be considered in terms of MSW management is the stage of collection. The emissions generated from these systems can arrive to values that are of the same order of magnitude of emissions from combustion of waste in waste-to-energy plants according to some scenarios.