Vital Waste Graphics
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43
Life cycle stage
Contribution from waste to climate change
Extraction Manufacturing Use
GHG emissions contribution to global warming
Sinks, beneficial use and solutions
- Carbon storage in the soil - Reducing the amount of organic fertilizer use - Creating recycled products
Composting CO 2 emissions
- Energy cogeneration - Avoided fossil fuel use - Install filters to reduce air pollution - Ash recycled products
Incineration CO 2 , N 2 O aerosol particle emissions
Landfilling is the most common waste management practice, and results in the release of methane from the anaerobic de- composition of organic materials. Methane is around 20 times more potent as a GHG than carbon dioxide. If the disposal of or- ganic matter were decreased (for example by composting or combustion) it would be possible to reduce the amount of meth- ane emissions. However, landfill methane is also a source of energy, and some landfills capture and use it for energy. In addition, many materials in landfills do not decompose fully, and the carbon that remains is sequestered in the landfill and not released into the atmosphere.
- Carbon storage in landfills - Energy production - Fewer impacts on the climatic system due to methane utilization - Reduced forest use and increased carbon sequestration - Recovery of materials: metals, glass, plastics with fewer energy use
Landfilling CH 4 and methane precursor emissions
emissions Recycling
Waste management
Emissions due to solid waste disposal on land
70 Kg of methan per person
Kg of methan per person
Kg of methan per person
Kg of methan per person
Kg of methan per person
70
70
70
70
Bulgaria
60
60
60
60
60
Norway
50
50
50
50
50
Estonia
United States
Australia
40
40
40
40
40
The Netherlands
Greece
Canada
30
30
30
30
30
New Zealand
Latvia
United Kingdom
Germany
20
20
20
20
20
Japan
10
10
10
10
10
France
0
0
0
0
0
1996 1998 2000 2002
1996 1998 2000 2002
1996 1998 2000 2002
1996 1998 2000 2002
1996 1998 2000 2002
Source: UNFCCC
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