Научная электронная библиотека
Монографии, изданные в издательстве Российской Академии Естествознания
INTRODUCTION
The development of environmental technologies has led to the emergence of complex integrated municipal solid waste (MSW) management systems, based on the most appropriate combination of different ways of treatment for different waste streams instead of the common scheme «collection – landfilling». Integrated waste management systems are based on resource conservation during the production and consumption of products, they are complex and solve a variety of economic, environmental and social tasks. The emergence of such systems requires applying of advanced tools of environmental management for their evaluation and optimization.
The methodology of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in recent years in Europe has become one of the most effective environmental management tools for the assessment of potential environmental impacts of products and services at all stages of their life cycle. One of the main actively developing areas of LCA application is evaluation of the alternative technologies and waste
management systems.
In Russia under present conditions of environmental problems aggravation caused by the growing need for environmental waste management and the absence of positive dynamics in solving of this problem, LCA is particular important as a method to determine the strategy and concept of waste management systems development with selection of the most effective processes
and technologies.
Irkutsk is a dynamically developing modern city located in the Siberian Federal District of Russia. Sustainable development of the city requires a development of its all spheres in order to create comfortable living conditions for the population. One of the indispensable condition for creating comfortable urban environment is existence of effective system for the municipal solid waste (MSW) removal and treatment. Due to limited resources, the city should create conditions for efficient use of secondary material resources contained in the waste. The problem of municipal solid waste management in Irkutsk can be solved only through an integrated approach. The modern system of MSW management should satisfy to three fundamental pillars of sustainable development: environmental sustainability, economic viability and social acceptability.
The book consists of two parts. The first part of the monograph contains analyses of integrated waste management systems, the concept of Life cycle assessment as a tool for environmental management, a review of the best available technologies for MSW treatment and brief characteristic of the current MSW management system in Irkutsk.
In the second part the authors presented the results of research work dedicated to the practical application of environmental management tool in Russian conditions. The developed scenarios of MSW management systems for Irkutsk were assessed using Life cycle assessment method. Some practical recommendations for optimization of the MSW management system in Irkutsk for the period up to 2020 were developed.
Research was carried out on the base of international educational and innovative Environmental Center «Baikal Waste Management» of National Research Irkutsk State Technical University.