Solid Waste & Life-Cycle Workbench

Interactive workspace initializes in your browser. Engineering method, assumptions, validation, and references are available below.

Engineering reference

Solid Waste & Life Cycle: theory, method, and sources

This environmental & energy engineering workspace publishes 10 governing equations, 5 stated assumptions, 1 documented boundary, and 2 sources so the numbers it returns can be checked rather than taken on trust.

Calculations run locallyCalculation & source methodology

How this tool works

Eleven modules cover waste generation, diversion rates, landfill volume and remaining life, methane generation and gas-to-energy, composting carbon-to-nitrogen ratios, waste-to-energy, transport emissions, avoided emissions from recycling, and a lifecycle total.

The lifecycle module sums collection, processing, transport, and disposal emissions and subtracts recycling credits, which is the net figure that determines whether a diversion programme reduces emissions overall.

Calculators and topics covered

solid waste
recycling
landfill
life cycle
waste diversion
landfill life
methane
waste to energy
LCA

Core equations

\text{waste generation:}\quad M = \text{population} \times per - \text{capita}\; \text{rate} \times 365

\text{diversion rate:}\quad D = \frac{\text{recycled} + \text{composted} + \text{reused}}{\text{total}} \times 100 \%

\text{landfill volume:}\quad V = \frac{M}{\rho } \times \left(1 + \text{cover}\; \text{fraction}\right)

\text{landfill life:}\quad n\; \text{from}\; \sum \; V \left(1 + g\right)^{n} \le \text{capacity}

\text{methane potential:}\quad CH_{4} = M \cdot DOC \cdot DOC_{f} \cdot \left(\frac{16}{12}\right) \cdot F \cdot \left(1 - \text{capture}\right),\; \frac{\text{where}\; 16}{12}\; \text{converts}\; \text{degradable}\; \text{carbon}\; \text{mass}\; to\; \text{methane}\; \text{mass}

\text{landfill gas energy:}\quad E = m_{CH_{4}} \cdot LHV \cdot \eta _{\mathrm{electric}}

compost C:N ratio: (C₁m₁ + C₂m₂)/(N₁m₁ + N₂m₂)

\text{waste-to-energy:}\quad P = \dot{m} \cdot LHV \cdot \eta \cdot \text{availability}

\text{transport emissions:}\quad CO_{2} e = \text{tonnes} \times \mathrm{km} \times \text{factor}

\text{net lifecycle:}\quad \text{total} = \text{collection} + \text{processing} + \text{transport} + \text{disposal} - \text{credits}

Method and assumptions

Assumptions

Methane generation uses a simple first-order potential rather than a time-resolved decay model such as LandGEM.
Waste composition is represented by single average values for degradable carbon fraction and heating value.
Landfill life assumes constant compaction density and a fixed annual growth rate.
Avoided emission credits depend heavily on the assumed displaced material and regional energy mix.
Leachate management, long-term aftercare, and land use change are outside the scope of these calculations.

Limitations and design boundaries

Educational screening calculations only. Waste planning, landfill gas inventories, facility design, and lifecycle assessment require current regulations, representative composition data, documented boundaries, uncertainty analysis, and qualified professional review.

Sources and references

Primary sources are preferred for ratings, standards, manufacturer data, and externally defined constants.

Source policy

Tchobanoglous and Kreith, Handbook of Solid Waste Management
ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 lifecycle assessment framework