Urban Development Policy Making

Urban Development Policy Making

Assessment of Urban Waste Policies and Disposal Practices and Their Impacts on Urban Ecosystem and Public Health

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Shayesteh Ebrahimi Zaker 1
Hamidreza Esmaeilinejad 2
Negin Mirzaei 1
1 School of Energy Engineering and Sustainable Resources, College of Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2 Department of mechanical and energy engineering, Shahid Beheshti university, A.C. Tehran, Iran
10.22034/judpm.2025.520111.1038
Abstract
Municipal solid waste management (MSWM) poses significant environmental challenges in large metropolitan areas such as Tehran. This study aims to systematically assess the environmental impacts of various waste treatment scenarios using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology and the SimaPro software. Four commonly implemented strategies-sanitary landfill, recycling, composting, and incineration-were evaluated based on midpoint indicators (global warming, acidification, human toxicity, particulate matter formation, and resource depletion) and endpoint indicators (damage to human health, ecosystems, and economic resources). The results indicate that landfill operations and related transportation activities exert the highest environmental burdens across all assessed impact categories. Conversely, recycling and anaerobic digestion emerged as more environmentally sustainable alternatives with significant potential to mitigate adverse impacts. The findings highlight the critical need to reform the current waste management system in Tehran through source separation, deployment of advanced waste processing technologies, and increased energy efficiency in waste transport. This research provides a robust scientific basis to inform strategic policymaking and enhance the environmental performance of urban waste management systems.
Keywords
Municipal waste
Waste disposal
Waste management
Environmental pollution
Health risks

Subjects

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Urban Development Policy Making
Volume 2, Issue 4
Winter 2026
Pages 407-422

  • Receive Date 04 April 2025
  • Revise Date 05 May 2025
  • Accept Date 05 June 2025
  • Publish Date 11 September 2025