Economic evaluation of a landfill system with gas recovery for municipal solid waste management: a case study

Economic activity uses resources, which leads to waste generation. With rap id industrialization and urbanization, pier capita solid waste generation h as increased considerably. Solid waste generation data for last two decades shows an alarming increase. Owing to its improper and untimely collection, the transport and disposal of municipal solid waste poses a severe threat to various components of the environment and also to public health. This pa per describes the merits and demerits of various technological aspects of s olid waste management. Landfill technology, as it is the most widely employ ed and is regarded as the most suitable and simple mechanism, especially fo r tropical countries such as India, is emphasized. All possible costs and b enefits and externalities are examined. A cost-benefit analysis of a landfi ll system with gas recovery (LFSGR) has been carried out for Mumbai city's solid waste, accounting for certain external costs and benefits, and found that it could make a huge difference of savings of about Rs. 6.366 billion (:approx. $0.140 billion) per annum with reference to the existing system o f waste disposal.