IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF ALTERNATIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT METHODS: THE CASE STUDY IN THE MEKONG DELTA, VIETNAM

Abstract

The purpose of this study assessed the effect of solid waste treatment practices, especially municipal solid waste towards sustainable development in the Mekong Delta region, southern Vietnam. This study also proposes to use the Life Cycle Assessment method with waste material flow, which will provide a calculation and estimation method based on the database of the assessment factors and normalization references for aspects, such as greenhouse gas emission/reduction, energy generation/consumption, economic benefit, investment and operating cost, and land use burden. The results shown that, composting is apparently a preferable option for promoting waste reduction and recycling from biodegradable waste in the Mekong Delta region.