Life-cycle inventory of a modern municipal solid waste landfill

The Environmental Research ansi Education Foundation (EREF), in conjunction with Ecobalance and researchers from the University of Wisconsin and North Carolina State, is nearing completion of a comprehensive 2-year project on the life-cycle inventory (LCI) of a modern municipal solid waste (MSW) lan dfill. Data for the model came from both primary (over 100 landfills world- wide) and secondary data sources. Partners in the project included waste ma nagement companies from North America and Europe (including Waste Managemen t Inc., SITA and CREED). In addition to the landfill LCI model, the project also includes the development of a software tool. The final report will pr ovide a sound basis for assessing, on a life-cycle basis, the emissions and resource consumption associated with a modem MSW landfill. The model and r eport can be used to assess the importance of: (I) the various stages in th e life-cycle system; (2) the time horizon selected; and (3) the air and wat er management techniques selected.