Vital Waste Graphics

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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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