WASTE NOT, WANT NOT - THE PRIVATE AND SOCIAL COSTS OF WASTE-TO-ENERGYPRODUCTION

Communities, and whole countries, are considering implementing the qui ckly-evolving technologies of waste-to-energy (WTE) production. Unlike other energy sources, waste-to-energy plants have two objectives, In addition to generating useful energy, these plants are designed to ens ure the safe and effective disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW), En ergy production and solid waste management both involve complicated an d large-scale production processes which generate substantial environm ental impacts, Traditional analysis of the desirability of adopting WT E technology has compared its costs and benefits either to other forms of energy production or to other forms of solid waste management, Tra ditional analysis also tends to focus on private production costs with limited consideration of broader social environmental impacts, Using data from Germany, Sweden, the UK and the US, this paper bundles toget her the energy generation and waste disposal services offered by WTE a nd estimates the associated private production and social environmenta l costs, In so doing, this economic study provides insight into whethe r WTE plants can compete on the energy production side with fossil-fue l-fired plants and on the waste management side with landfill disposal . (C) 1997 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.