IEA Bioenergy’s Task 36: Material and Energy valorisation of waste in a Circular Economy has published a report on Social and Environmental Sustainability of Municipal Solid Waste in the Context of the UN SDGs.
The work builds on input from participants in a series of regional workshops held in South Africa, North America and Europe in 2022 and 2023.
The report considers several potential solutions to address the negative environmental and social impacts of MSW generation and management, under the headings of Waste Reduction, Recycling and Circular Economy, and Proper Disposal and Treatment. While composting and anaerobic digestion are mentioned, there is more emphasis on advanced Waste-to-Energy and hybrid systems in connection with SGD7 Affordable and Clean Energy and relatively little focus on aspects such as nutrient recovery and recycling. Time to make a stronger case for Environmental Biotechnology approaches to organic MSW!
Full and Summary versions of the report are freely available, with further information on the Task’s activities and publications on the website.
