Testing of different waste analysis tools for municipal solid waste

In many countries, local authorities are typically responsible for the development of a waste management plan and often have to work around difficult conditions, such as poor infrastructure, isolated locations and severe climate conditions as well as inadequate budgets. Analyses of municipal solid waste (MSW) are a crucial prerequisite to the development of sustainable waste management plans. Consequently, the selection of an appropriate tool for waste analysis is significant. To that end, three different research projects were implemented to test the viability of various waste analysis tools. The strengths and weaknesses of each tool are discussed in this paper. The overall objective of this study is to assist decision makers internationally in the planning and development of MSW management, specifically with regard to choosing tools for waste analysis. Thus, recommendations for optimal implementation of waste analysis of MSW by local authorities were developed.