Paragraphs Environmental Design

Municipal Waste Composition and Its Implications for Source-Separation Planning in Selected Cities

Review Article · Environmental Design · 2025, Volume 3, Issue 3: 60–78

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.24161341

Irini (Eirini) Efesiou*

Emeritus professor, School of Architectural Engineering, National Technical University of Athens

*Correspondence: eefesiou@arch.ntua.gr

Received: May 2025 | Accepted: May 2025 | Published: July 2025

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Abstract

Municipal waste composition provides an essential basis for source-separation planning, but its usefulness depends on the boundary of measurement and the conditions under which materials can actually be collected and recovered. This article develops a critical comparative synthesis of published evidence for Accra, Dhaka, and New York City, with Milan used as a supporting implementation example. It draws exclusively on literature published before 1 December 2024 and distinguishes original measurements from subsequent interpretation. The selected studies describe different populations, collection streams, dates, and material categories; their percentages therefore support conditional planning judgments rather than a statistical ranking of cities. The analysis connects composition to service coverage, material capture, contamination, treatment acceptance, institutional responsibilities, and distributional effects. Its contribution is a comparative decision framework that connects heterogeneous composition evidence to explicit collection and treatment assumptions, distinguishing material present from material captured and accepted into a specified process. An explicitly hypothetical calculation demonstrates why a large organic fraction can yield less usable material than a smaller fraction served by a more effective collection system. The article proposes differentiated collection arrangements, measurement at several points in the service chain, and staged investment tied to demonstrated performance. Composition remains indispensable, yet its planning value emerges through its combination with evidence about buildings, collection reliability, existing recovery practices, and downstream demand. Source separation should consequently be designed as a material-specific public service whose performance is assessed through accepted target throughput, documented product destinations, and equitable access, alongside waste prevention.

Keywords: municipal solid waste; waste characterization; source separation; organic waste; comparative urban analysis; collection planning

Citation

Efesiou I. (2025). Municipal Waste Composition and Its Implications for Source-Separation Planning in Selected Cities. Paragraphs Environmental Design, 3(3), 60–78. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.24161341

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