Development of Sustainability Assessment Criteria in Selection of Municipal Solid Waste Treatment Technology in Developing Countries: A Case of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Phuong Giang Le, Hung Anh Le (), Xuan Thang Dinh and Kieu Lan Phuong Nguyen ()
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Phuong Giang Le: Institute for Environmental Science, Engineering and Management, Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City 70000, Vietnam
Hung Anh Le: Institute for Environmental Science, Engineering and Management, Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City 70000, Vietnam
Xuan Thang Dinh: Hoa Lu Center for Research and Apply Environment, Ho Chi Minh City 70000, Vietnam
Kieu Lan Phuong Nguyen: Faculty of Environmental and Food Engineering, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City 70000, Vietnam

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 10, 1-21

Abstract: Municipal solid waste (MSW) management is a significant problem for developing countries due to lack of sufficient infrastructure, poor management capacity, and low level of waste treatment technology. This study proposes three main groups of criteria, i.e., social, economic, and environmental, that can be used as an effective tool to assess the sustainability of MSW treatment technologies, considering Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam as a case study. The sustainability assessment criteria consist of a list of indicators which consider potential waste treatment plants. The indicators and technologies then undertake a selection process from identifying assessment goals and key aspects to data collection and consultation of experts. The findings from the previous phase will be used to select the most preferred waste technology through AHP and normalization approaches. As a result, 12 selected indicators are as follows: investment cost, treatment cost, operation and maintenance costs, revenue/benefits, job creation, community consensus, support policy, community health, air pollution, water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and land quota. Among three MSW facilities selected, i.e., landfill, compost, and waste-to-energy incineration, waste-to-energy is determined as the best alternative solution for Ho Chi Minh City in a given context of approximate 70% of landfilling being applied. The selection process and indicators found can guide decision-makers and policy on selecting MSW treatment technologies in developing countries. Additionally, Ho Chi Minh City’s governors benefit from finding the most appropriate waste technology. A technology adoption roadmap and its implementation plan should be thought thoroughly to address challenges in MSW management in the city.

Keywords: sustainability assessment criteria; municipal solid waste treatment technology; analytic hierarchy process; expert survey; feature scaling; megacity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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