Evaluation of the potential of waste to energy technologies for residual solid waste
Published Tue 01 Oct 2019
Rapid urbanisation, population growth and rising industrialization around the world have led to the higher consumption of materials and consequently, caused many environmental challenges. Earlier in 2012, it was estimated that 1.3 billion tonnes of MSW (municipal solid waste) was generated worldwide each year and now it has been predicted that it could reach 2.2 billion tonnes per year by 2025 and 4.2 billion tonnes per year by 2050.
According to a report by Randell Australia generated 2.2 tonnes of waste on a per capita basis. In 2010–11, NSW (New South Wales) households, businesses and government generated around 17.1 million tonnes of waste. It was also reported that waste generation in NSW increased by 7% between 2006/2007 and 2010/2011 and reached 2.38 tonnes per capita in 2011.
On the other hand, the population of NSW is constantly increasing annually by approximately 1.4%, hence it can be predicted that the solid waste generation will also increase in the future. Therefore, an effective and economical waste management is highly indispensable for a sustainable environment in NSW.