Municipal solid waste management instruments that influence the use of the refuse as fuel in developing countries: A critical review.

Landfills are the destination of most of the refuse generated whereas composting, material recycling, and Waste-to-Energy (WtE) technologies are not commonly employed in developing countries. However, the destination for energy purposes could be supplied with this refuse, improving the viability of energy use. Thus, this article raises some questions to identify aspects that could encourage its use as refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in these countries. Among them, does environmental education affect the municipal solid waste (MSW) source separation with emphasis on a destination? Can selective collection and extended producer responsibility (EPR) affect the MSW for energy recovery? Is there competition between the recycling market and the energy market for RDF? A systematic review of the literature was conducted to gather data and provide answers to such questions. This enabled to observe that EPR, selective collect expansion and source separation influence the quantity and quality of waste sent for energy use. Both internal and external factors impact on source separation. Additionally, there is evidence to support that despite several studies showing their technical, economic, environmental and social viability, the methods of energy usage of the refuse still need to improve their deployment in developing countries. In addition to identifying the main research gaps to be filled in future studies, the article also identified the instruments of MSW management that are to be applied in developing countries to divert recyclable and organic waste from landfill.

Challenges of selective collection of the household waste: A case study in a Brazilian metropolis.

This work sought to analyse the main difficulties in implementing and maintaining the selective waste collection in a Brazilian metropolis with more than one million inhabitants. Therefore, a qualitative method was used through in-depth interviews with 18 professionals working in the area of selective collection. The interviews were recorded and the data submitted to content analysis. The results showed the following difficulties: lack of management by the government, low efficiency and limited coverage; poor separation of waste at source; distortions in the selective collection logistics chain and in the distribution of waste by cooperatives; high informality, precarious work and low pay for waste collectors; the presence of middlemen and corruption in the system; and idle capacity of cooperatives and public organs. It was concluded that to overcome the difficulties in the selective collection and for it to be more effective, there is a need to improve the management of the process by the government with greater transparency and integration between the various actors involved, education of the population, better working conditions and remuneration for waste collectors.

Education and training: Key solution to self-management and economic sustainability of waste pickers organisations.

Being a waste picker is not considered a profession in the eyes of society. One reason is that it does not require professional qualifications or training. Thus, most waste pickers are individuals who had difficulty entering the labour market, mainly due to low education levels. As members of waste pickers organisations (WPOs), they have difficulties in practicing self-management and, consequently, in maintaining the WPO's economic sustainability. This is a barrier to waste pickers' inclusion in the integrated solid waste management, but it can be overcome with investment in their education and professional training. However, it is not clear how this can be accomplished. This article presents guidelines for the education and training of organised waste pickers. These guidelines were developed based on socioeconomic information with a focus on education and training collected from interviews with waste pickers (n = 215) of 24 Brazilian WPOs. The potentials and vulnerabilities of this socioeconomic profile allowed the elaboration of the main following guidelines: the classroom must be the WPO itself; a mentor is needed to conduct the education and training programme using a non-formal teaching and learning method; the content should be defined collectively, based on the knowledge of the organisation's members and the daily WPO's issues. In addition to isolated actions, these guidelines should be included in public policy programmes.

Challenges to reducing post-consumer plastic rejects from the MSW selective collection at two MRFs in São Paulo city, Brazil.

​The present study is concerned with an overview of the main aspects of the selective collection from the municipal solid waste in São Paulo City and the limitations of its two automated Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) to tackle the problem of reducing recyclable plastic waste sent to landfills as rejects. The research aimed to characterize the composition of screened mass flows of as-received mixes from the selective collection at the two MRFs through in situ random collection campaigns. The results of the gravimetric analysis have shown that both MRFs provided higher recovery yields (> 40%) for paper, cardboard, Tetrapack®, ferrous and non-ferrous metals (aluminium), akin to some post-consumer plastics (PET, HDPE/LDPE and PP) that ranged from 38% for PP up to 89% for HDPE, Losses in recovery yields of recyclable plastics after the screening process resulted from lack of clear resin label identification, inefficient materials sortation by households and poor recognition capabilities of the MRFs screening devices to target and segregate specific types of plastics such as PS and vinylic. Packaging design complexity, multi-layered material diversity, and food contaminated post-consumer packaging pose further challenges to improve the plastics recovery capabilities of the two MRFs.

Geo-environmental and geotechnical characterization of municipal solid waste from the selective collection in São Paulo city, Brazil.

This paper presents the characterization of municipal solid waste (MSW) randomly collected from two material recovery facilities in São Paulo city, before (input - recyclables) and after (output - rejects) the sorting processes. Geo-environmental and geotechnical tests were performed on shredded samples and a digestion method was applied to detect the metals As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn concentrations using an ICP OES. The objective was to assist future activities of integrated solid waste management and soil pollution. Results showed different particle sizes comparing the input (44.6%) and the output MSW (75.1%) passing through the 100-mm sieve. Organic matter and ash contents indicated the influence of inorganic carbon due to the plastics' presence, with values varying between 6 and 13%. The pH values obtained were neutral and the electrical conductivity of the MSW rejects suggested a higher amount of ions, with values above 1000 µS/cm. Metals analyses show that Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn are present in high concentrations, depending on the types of the materials. Standard Proctor compaction curves yielded maximum dry unit weight varying from 6.6 to 10.0 kN/m3 and optimum moisture contents from 20 to 42%. Cohesion ranged from 1.3 to 31.3 kPa and friction angle from 3.2 to 42.9°. The results are comparable with those obtained for other countries using different MSW treatments and contribute to the data basis for MSW from the selective collection, aiming the integrated solid waste management, serving for other countries that adopt MSW sorting and recycling.

Cemetery waste as a substream of municipal waste: research and structure of the selective waste collection in Poland.

Cemetery waste (CW) constitutes one of the streams of municipal waste (MW). Based on the available data, it can be said that it accounts for about 1% of the mass of MW being generated in Poland. CW management should be carried out selectively. It is estimated that the level of CW selective collection is lower than the average level achieved for MW. This paper presents some solutions concerning the selective collection of CW implemented in selected municipal and denominational cemeteries in Poland. Based on research conducted, the levels of proper separation of glass and biodegradable waste in containers for their selective collection were determined, accordingly as >85% and >80%. Due to the contamination with paraffin residues, the purity of the selectively collected plastic fraction was lower than 20%. The human factor was recognized as the most significant determining efficiency of the selective collection of CW. Therefore, further education of society, as well as promoting good practices in the field of CW management, should be regarded as desirable.

Lessons and challenges for the recycling sector of Brazil from the pandemic outbreak of COVID-19.

Abstract: The 2019-2020 coronavirus pandemic imposed unprecedented challenges in Brazilian governance sectors, mostly in the waste management system. Herein, we analyse the main challenges of the recycling sector in Brazil to cope with this scenario. Understanding difficulties during the pandemic outbreak of COVID-19 can help improve waste recycling in the post-pandemic period in Brazil and other developing nations that face similar issues. The current pandemic exposed the deficiencies of this system, and some important lessons can be learned. Recommendations are drawn to advance the proper management of recyclables in the country. The Government must increase total investments in the recycling industry's infrastructure and support local recycling initiatives during a public health crisis and beyond. In sum, this paper strengthens the idea that waste segregation at the source and selective collection will not be sufficient without massive investments in the recycling sector's infrastructure. The future challenge includes strengthening the economic markets for recycled materials.

Municipal solid waste management during the SARS-COV-2 outbreak and lockdown ease: Lessons from Italy.

The literature on municipal solid waste in relation to COVID-19 is scarce. Based on the experience of Italy, the present article contributes to the strategies aimed at preventing a second virus outbreak. In fact, the mismanagement of municipal solid waste could undermine the strategies during the ease of the lockdown. During the SARS-COV-2 outbreak in Italy, there was a general decrease in the selective collection rate (-15% in one municipality with a well-developed door-to-door collection system). Delays in the publication of guidelines on waste management impacted on the safety of the operators collecting potentially infected waste. Contrarily to expectations, single-use masks and gloves do not have significant impact on waste management, accounting for <1% of the residual municipal solid waste collected annually. However, the dispersion of abandoned masks and gloves outside indoor environments is creating environmental problems. Recommendations on waste management and the protection of waste operators are discussed. Finally, guidelines on the most appropriate waste treatment are presented and analyzed. The results presented in this article show that the MSW management sector has found useful solutions to tackle COVID-19; however, these solutions are not being shared sufficiently. The case study analyzed in the present work could help define strategies for preventing or controlling similar future epidemics or pandemic episodes.

Environmental impact assessment of the implementation of a Deposit-Refund System for packaging waste in Spain: A solution or an additional problem?

Food and beverage packaging represent a relevant fraction of municipal solid waste, and its adequate management is critical. Selective waste collection by an authorized organization according to an Extended Producer Responsibility System (EPRS) is the current option implemented in Spain for packaging. Other European countries have selected an alternative or a complement: a Deposit-Refund System (DRS) for certain type of beverage packaging. The selection of an EPRS or a DRS is a complex task and this work developed a universal methodology for the evaluation of optimal waste packaging management systems, focused on food and beverage. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach was applied to compare the current EPRS vs the implementation of a new system, with the coexistence of a DRS and a reduced EPRS. Although the environmental savings of the new system are superior to its impacts, even if the DRS would reach a value of 90% for the package return index, the current EPRS obtains significantly better environmental results. All impact categories are favorable to the current EPRS, except ADP, where the potentially higher DRS recycling rate is manifested. The impact associated to the flow of specific DRS packages in the new system is clearly higher than that linked to the flow of DRS excluded packages and it is even higher that the impact of the total joint flow in the current EPRS for all categories except ADP. The fundamental cause of this high impact is the backhauling stage to transport the recovered packages to the counting plants without compacting. A sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of the preference of the current EPRS over the combination of a DRS and a reduced EPRS. The developed approach supposes a methodological advance that can be extended to previously realized studies about the implementation of waste management systems in other contexts.

Avaliação do ciclo de vida da coleta seletiva de papel e papelão no núcleo do Bessa, município de João Pessoa (PB), Brasil / Life Cycle Assessment of Selective Paper and Cardboard Collection of in the Bessa Nucleus, municipality of João Pessoa/Paraíba, Brazil

RESUMO Reconhecendo que o papel e o papelão são os materiais mais identificados na gestão dos resíduos sólidos domiciliares (RSD), o objetivo deste artigo foi aplicar a metodologia da Avaliação de Ciclo de Vida (ACV) aos procedimentos de coleta seletiva desses materiais em um núcleo de João Pessoa (PB). A ACV quantifica as cargas ambientais ao longo do ciclo de vida de uma atividade e está normatizada pela International Organization for Standardization (ISO) e pela Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas (ABNT). Essa avaliação considerou todas as fases do sistema de gestão dos RSD: coletas regular e seletiva, reciclagem, disposição final e transportes intermediários. Utilizou-se o software SimaPro, com a base de dados Ecoinvent, e o método de avaliação de impacto ambiental CML-IA baseline, versão 3.00/World 2000. Verificou-se que, em 2014, a coleta seletiva incluiu 11% dos RSD gerados nos distritos servidos pela unidade de triagem. O restante (89%) foi, em sua maioria, transportado e destinado ao Aterro Sanitário Metropolitano de João Pessoa. Interpretando os resultados da ACV para as diferentes categorias de impacto, verificou-se que a reciclagem traz grandes benefícios ambientais quando consideradas as emissões atmosféricas associadas à eutrofização, ao aquecimento global e à oxidação fotoquímica. Nesses casos, obteve-se um resultado geral negativo nas emissões, por causa da reciclagem, em comparação às outras etapas consideradas (coletas seletiva e regular, consumos de energia nos galpões, Central de Triagem - CT - , transportes e aterro sanitário). Para as emissões atmosféricas associadas à destruição da camada de ozônio e à acidificação, as emissões negativas relacionadas à reciclagem não foram suficientes para obter um balanço geral negativo.

ABSTRACT Recognizing that paper and cardboard are the most common materials in Solid Household Waste (SHW) management, the objective of the study presented herein was to apply the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to the procedures associated with the selective collection of paper and cardboard in a nucleus in João Pessoa, Paraíba. LCA quantifies the environmental loads throughout the life cycle of an activity and is standardized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the Brazilian Association of Technical Standards (Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas - ABNT). LCA considered all the phases of SHW management: regular collection, selective collection, recycling, final disposal and intermediate transportation. The SimaPro software was used, with the Ecoinvent database and CML-IA baseline environmental assessment method, version 3.00/World 2000. In 2004, it was verified that selective collection included 11% of the SHW generated in the districts served by the sorting unit. The remainder (89%) was, in its majority, transported and destined for the Metropolitan Sanitary Landfill of João Pessoa. Interpretation of the LCA results for the different impact categories revealed that recycling brings positive environmental benefits when the atmospheric emissions associated with eutrophication, global warming and photochemical oxidation were considered. An overall negative value was obtained for these categories, due to recycling, in comparison with the other analyzed phases (selective collection, regular collection, consumption of energy in the sheds, sorting unit, transportation and landfilling). For atmospheric emissions associated with depletion of the ozone layer and acidification, negative emissions associated with recycling were not sufficient to produce an overall negative balance.

Analysis of the waste selective collection at drop-off systems: Case study including the income level and the seasonal variation.

There are several factors which have an influence in the selective collection of the municipal waste. To define a selective collection system, the waste generation pattern should be firstly determined and these factors should be analyzed in depth. This paper tries to analyze the economic income level and the seasonal variation on the collection and the purity of light-packaging waste to determine actions to improve the waste management plan of a town. In the first stage of the work, waste samples of the light-packaging containers were collected in two zones of the town with different economic characteristics in different seasons during one year. In the second stage, the samples were characterized to analyze the composition and purity of the waste. They were firstly separated into four fractions: metals; plastic; beverage cartons; and misplaced materials. The misplaced fraction was in its turn separated into cardboard, rubber and leather, inert waste, organic matter, paper, hazardous waste, clothes and shoes, glass and others. The plastic fraction was separated into five types of plastics and the metal fraction into three. In the third stage, the data have been analyzed and conclusions have been extracted. The main result is that the quality of the light-packaging fraction collected in these zones during both seasons were similar. This methodology can be extrapolated to towns with similar characteristics. It will be useful when implementing a system to collect the waste selectively and to develop actions to achieve a good participation in the selective collection of the waste.

Potencial de recuperação de recicláveis em um condomínio residencial de grande porte de São Caetano do Sul / Recovery potencial of recyclables at a large residential condominium in São Caetano do Sul

RESUMO Este trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar o potencial de recuperação de resíduos recicláveis de um condomínio residencial vertical de grande porte localizado no município de São Caetano do Sul (SP). Foi realizado o diagnóstico da gestão de resíduos e da infraestrutura do condomínio, bem como foram feitas entrevistas com o Conselho Diretivo do condomínio e com o instituto responsável pela triagem dos resíduos, e aplicados questionários aos moradores. O principal desafio foi a frequência e a adequabilidade na comunicação interna e sensibilização, tanto de residentes como dos funcionários domésticos. Entre os aspectos favoráveis, identificou-se a comodidade para descarte dos recicláveis para os moradores; e condições favoráveis para a comercialização dos recicláveis, como presença de local adequado para armazenamento de recicláveis segregados, elevado volume de recicláveis gerados e mercado favorável na região para a comercialização dos materiais. Foi verificado que são recuperados 13,7% da totalidade de recicláveis presentes nos resíduos domiciliares. Conforme o presente estudo, verificou-se ainda que a coleta seletiva de resíduos sólidos domiciliares em condomínios é vulnerável, dado à falta de consistência de ações efetivas de divulgação e mobilização, bem como de decisões da administração local.

ABSTRACT This paper aims at evaluating the potential recovery of recyclable materials at a large vertical residential condominium located in the municipality of São Caetano do Sul, state of São Paulo, Brazil. A survey on the waste management and the building facilities was conducted. Interviews with the governing board of the condominium and with the institute responsible for segregating recyclables were carried out, together with questionnaires applied to residents. The main challenge during this survey was the frequency and quality of internal communication for information and awareness, including both residents and respective domestic staff. As positive aspects, the convenience for disposal of recyclables by the residents; favorable conditions for the recyclables market, and presence of suitable location for storing segregated recyclables at the condominium were identified. It was found that the recovered materials were 13.7% of all recyclables present in domestic waste. This study showed that the selective collection of solid waste in residential condominiums is vulnerable owing to the lack of effective promoting and mobilization actions, as well lack of local administration decisions.

Assessment strategies for municipal selective waste collection schemes.

An important strategy to promote a strong sustainable growth relies on an efficient municipal waste management, and phasing out waste landfilling through waste prevention and recycling emerges as a major target. For this purpose, effective collection schemes are required, in particular those regarding selective waste collection, pursuing a more efficient and high quality recycling of reusable materials. This paper addresses the assessment and benchmarking of selective collection schemes, relevant to guide future operational improvements. In particular, the assessment is based on the monitoring and statistical analysis of a core-set of performance indicators that highlights collection trends, complemented with a performance index that gathers a weighted linear combination of these indicators. This combined analysis underlines a potential tool to support decision makers involved in the process of selecting the collection scheme with best overall performance. The presented approach was applied to a case study conducted in Oporto Municipality, with data gathered from two distinct selective collection schemes.

Planejamento municipal na gestão dos resíduos sólidos urbanos e na organização da coleta seletiva / Municipal planning in solid waste management and organization of selective collection

RESUMO Este trabalho visa à análise dos Planos Municipais de Gestão Integrada de Resíduos Sólidos (PMGIRS), com o conteúdo previsto na Lei nº 12.305/2010, quanto à implantação da coleta seletiva. A Política Nacional de Resíduos Sólidos (PNRS) hierarquizou a gestão e o gerenciamento de resíduos sólidos: não geração, redução, reutilização, reciclagem, tratamento e disposição final ambientalmente adequada dos rejeitos, além da responsabilidade compartilhada dos setores privado e público. Nesse contexto, a coleta seletiva se mostra instrumento-chave para essa hierarquia, sendo os PMGIRS importantes na definição de ações necessárias à concretização das metas desejadas. Para tanto, analisamos 17 planos de municípios com população acima de 200 mil habitantes. A análise concluiu pela não aderência da maior parte da amostra estudada, nos aspectos de coleta seletiva e reciclagem, por não atender aos requisitos mínimos da PNRS. Porém, os planos refletem pré-disposição para mudança e aumento da escala dada ao serviço prestado.

ABSTRACT This work aims at the analysis of Municipal Integrated Solid Waste Management Plans (PMGIRS), as the minimum content required under by the law number 12.305/2010, regarding the implementation of selective waste collection. The Brazilian National Solid Waste Policy (PNRS) tiered solid waste management: non-generation, reduction, reuse, recycling, treatment and environmentally correct final disposal of wastes, as well as the shared responsibility between public and private sectors. In this context, the selective collection proves to be a key tool for this hierarchy, being the PMGIRS important in the definition of actions required to achieve the desired goals. To this end, 17 elaborated plans of municipalities with population over 200 thousand inhabitants were analyzed. The analysis concludes by non-compliance of the majority of the sample studied, in aspects of selective collection and recycling, for failing to meet the minimum requirements of the PNRS. However, the plans reflect a predisposition for change and increase the scale given to the service provided.

An algorithm for the optimal collection of wet waste.

This work refers to the development of an approach for planning wet waste (food waste and other) collection at a metropolitan scale. Some specific modeling features distinguish this specific waste collection problem from the other ones. For instance, there may be significant differences as regards the values of the parameters (such as weight and volume) characterizing the various collection points. As it happens for classical waste collection planning, even in the case of wet waste, one has to deal with difficult combinatorial problems, where the determination of an optimal solution may require a very large computational effort, in the case of problem instances having a noticeable dimensionality. For this reason, in this work, a heuristic procedure for the optimal planning of wet waste is developed and applied to problem instances drawn from a real case study. The performances that can be obtained by applying such a procedure are evaluated by a comparison with those obtainable via a general-purpose mathematical programming software package, as well as those obtained by applying very simple decision rules commonly used in practice. The considered case study consists in an area corresponding to the historical center of the Municipality of Genoa.

Expanding worldwide urban solid waste recycling: The Brazilian social technology in waste pickers inclusion.

'If an integrated urban waste management system includes the informal recycling sector (IRS), there is a good chance that more solid waste is recycled' is common sense. However, informal integration brings additional social, environmental, and economic benefits, such as reduction of operational costs and environmental impacts of landfilling. Brazil is a global best practice example in terms of waste picker inclusion, and has received international recognition for its recycling levels. In addition to analysing the results of inclusive recycling approaches, this article evaluates a selection of the best Brazilian inclusive recycling practices and summaries and presents the resulting knowledge. The objective is to identify processes that enable the replication of the inclusion of the informal recycling sector model as part of municipal solid waste management. Qualitative and quantitative data have been collected in 25 Brazilian cities that have contracted waste pickers co-operatives for door-to-door selective collection of recyclables. Field data was collected in action research projects that worked with waste pickers co-operatives between 2006 and 2013. The Brazilian informal recycling sector integration model improves municipal solid waste recycling indicators: it shows an increase in the net tonness recycled, from 140 to 208 t month(-1), at a much lower cost per tonne than conventional selective collection systems. Inclusive systems show costs of US$35 per tonne of recyclables collected, well below the national average of US$195.26. This inclusive model improves the quality of collected material and the efficiency of municipal selective collection. It also diminishes the negative impacts of informal recycling, by reducing child labour, and by improving the conditions of work, occupational health and safety, and uncontrolled pollution. Although treating the Brazilian experience as a blueprint for transfer of experience in every case is unrealistic, the results suggest that this approach to informal sector integration can be considered among the global best practices for informal sector integration. The article closes with recommendations for deploying technology in other urban areas throughout the world.

High-performance graphene-based hole conductor-free perovskite solar cells: Schottky junction enhanced hole extraction and electron blocking.

Multilayered graphene and single-layered graphene are assembled onto perovskite films in the form of Schottky junctions and ohmic contacts, respectively, for the production of a graphene-based hole transporting material-free perovskite solar cell. Multilayered graphene extracts charge selectively and efficiently, delivering a higher efficiency of 11.5% than single-layered graphene (6.7%).

Attitude towards the incorporation of the selective collection of biowaste in a municipal solid waste management system. A case study.

European waste legislation has been encouraging for years the incorporation of selective collection systems for the biowaste fraction. European countries are therefore incorporating it into their current municipal solid waste management (MSWM) systems. However, this incorporation involves changes in the current waste management habits of households. In this paper, the attitude of the public towards the incorporation of selective collection of biowaste into an existing MSWM system in a Spanish municipality is analysed. A semi-structured telephone interview was used to obtain information regarding aspects such as: level of participation in current waste collection systems, willingness to participate in selective collection of biowaste, reasons and barriers that affect participation, willingness to pay for the incorporation of the selective collection of biowaste and the socioeconomic characteristics of citizens who are willing to participate and pay for selective collection of biowaste. The results showed that approximately 81% of the respondents were willing to participate in selective collection of biowaste. This percentage would increase until 89% if the Town Council provided specific waste bins and bags, since the main barrier to participate in the new selective collection system is the need to use specific waste bin and bags for the separation of biowaste. A logit response model was applied to estimate the average willingness to pay, obtaining an estimated mean of 7.5% on top of the current waste management annual tax. The relationship of willingness to participate and willingness to pay for the implementation of this new selective collection with the socioeconomic variables (age, gender, size of the household, work, education and income) was analysed. Chi-square independence tests and binary logistic regression was used for willingness to participate, not being obtained any significant relationship. Chi-square independence tests, ordinal logistic regression and ordinary linear regression was applied for willingness to pay, obtaining statistically significant relationship for most of the socioeconomic variables.

Critical analysis of the integration of residual municipal solid waste incineration and selective collection in two Italian tourist areas.

Municipal solid waste management is not only a contemporary problem, but also an issue at world level. In detail, the tourist areas are more difficult to be managed. The dynamics of municipal solid waste production in tourist areas is affected by the addition of a significant amount of population equivalent during a few months. Consequences are seen in terms of the amount of municipal solid waste to be managed, but also on the quality of selective collection. In this article two case studies are analyzed in order to point out some strategies useful for a correct management of this problem, also taking into account the interactions with the sector of waste-to-energy. The case studies concern a tourist area in the north of Italy and another area in the south. Peak production is clearly visible during the year. Selective collection variations demonstrate that the tourists' behavior is not adequate to get the same results as with the resident population.

Selective collection as a pretreatment for indirect solid recovered fuel generation.

Effective selective collection (SC) has been increasing in many countries of the European Union. As a consequence the composition of residual municipal solid waste (RMSW) is changing not only because of economic development, but also due to the collection system. The input of RMSW treatment plants is thus not homogeneous. This paper analyses two case studies involving a total of five SC scenarios and their impact on the generation of solid recovered fuel (SRF) with/without bio-drying, post-treatment and packaging take back programs (TBPs). These case studies are based on two types of SC: kerbside and drop-off. The latest regulation on SRF classification is taken into account: energy content, Cl and Hg concentrations are assessed and discussed. The role of the respirometric index (RI) is also analyzed. Results show that when SC is highly efficient RMSW can be classified directly as SRF, but only if the introduction of RI does not set stringent respirometric targets. The role of packaging TBPs is important as the residual waste remaining after the packaging has been processed, can be valorized increasing the lower heating value (LHV) of the residual RMSW and minimizing the streams that should be landfilled. The source separation of food waste has a significant impact on the suitability of bio-drying: when the SC of food waste is very efficient, its percentage in the RMSW may be too low for effective bio-drying.