Life cycle assessment and greenhouse gas emission evaluation from Aksaray solid waste disposal facility

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a popular tool used to assess the environmental performance of municipal solid waste (MSW) management systems. In this study, LCA method was used to determine the best municipal solid waste management strategy for Aksaray city, Turkey. Four different scenarios were developed as an alternative to the existing waste management system and evaluated for the best environmental solution. The scenario with 75% landfilling–25% composting provided the best results in terms of human health and environmental impact. Current emissions from the present MSW facility were estimated for methane and carbon dioxide emissions. Annual emissions in 2017 were 8674 and 3161 t year−1 for CO2 and CH4, respectively. The estimated ground-level concentrations of these emissions were 30 and 50 μg m−3 for CO2 and CH4, respectively. Both modeled CO2 and CH4 concentrations were expressed as CO2(eq). The total radiative forcing was calculated as 0.021 W m−2.