New publication on strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in residual waste treatment

Using the example of residual waste treatment in Kassel, we compare two central strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from household waste incineration in this life cycle assessment study:

1. The pre-separation of recyclable, carbon-rich materials in a sorting plant prior to incineration
2. The capture and storage of CO₂ from the flue gases of waste incineration

Using scenario analyses, we consider how different waste compositions, future developments in material and energy systems and various substitution assumptions affect greenhouse gas emissions from residual waste treatment.

The results of our study show that waste incineration in Kassel currently emits 857 kg of CO₂ per tonne of residual waste, 31% of which is_CO2 of fossil origin. The strategies examined can reduce direct CO₂ emissions and net greenhouse gas emissions from waste treatment. The capture and storage of CO₂ from the flue gases of waste incineration is particularly robust under different framework conditions. The pre-separation of recyclable, carbon-rich materials only proves to be advantageous compared to_{CO2 capture} from flue gases if there is a low level of separate collection of recyclable materials.

Our study illustrates the importance of considering local conditions and future changes in material and energy systems for environmental decision-making processes in waste management.

The publication is available under the following link (Open Access): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2025.02.048