Greenhouse Gas Calculator
Tool calculates greenhouse gas impacts
Waste management can be practised in a way that reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Source: KfW
The direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the waste management sector contribute "only" around three to five per cent to the anthropogenic global climate change. However, the waste sector has the potential to induce greenhouse gas reductions many times higher than this rate in other industries. A holistic analysis reveals that measures aimed at avoiding and recycling waste not only save resources and energy but reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the same time.
Under the accounting rules of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, emission reductions achieved by recycling waste and recovering energy contained in waste are either attributed to other GHG source categories such as energy or industrial processes, to avoid double counting, or, as in the case of waste avoidance, they are not accounted for at all. The contribution of solid waste management to climate protection can therefore only be calculated indirectly.
Potential for an Improved Greenhouse Gas Balance
A proper solid waste and life-cycle management system that conserves resources also reduces greenhouse gas emissions particularly through
- the avoidance of methane ('landfill gas'), which is particularly harmful to the climate,
- an efficient use of resources (recycling), and
- the use of waste to produce energy (substitution of fossil fuels).
Model calculations for selected developing countries demonstrate that developing and newly industrialising countries can reduce their greenhouse gas balance by 10 to 15 per cent by establishing sustainable waste management systems. In order to better include climate protection in the development of waste management strategies, KfW Entwicklungsbank in cooperation with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammernarbeit (GIZ) has commissioned the IFEU-Institut to develop an Excel-based greenhouse gas accounting tool in English and Spanish - the 'SWM-GHG Calculator' (Solid Waste Management Greenhouse Gas Calculator). This tool enables the climate protection effects of waste management to be incorporated into decisions on waste management strategies at an early stage.
Easy-To-Use Tool
The SWM-GHG Calculator can be used to calculate the greenhouse gas impacts for a waste disposal area - a country, region or municipality - for different types of waste disposal. It can also roughly estimate greenhouse gas impacts with the aid of reference values without the need for time-consuming data surveys (waste types, quantities, compositions, characteristics). The calculator also determines the approximate cost of the strategy being considered and the CO2 avoidance costs.
The manual, Excel tool, and sample calculations can be downloaded from the links below. You can also send for the Excel tool and sample calculations by e-mail free of charge - see tip.
Further Information
Last updated: July 2011
