Introducing Energy Recovery Technologies into Solid Waste Management Systems: Lessons and Challenges in International Technical Assistance
Abstract
Solid waste management (SWM) in developing countries is constrained by weak collection systems, limited treatment capacity, and continued reliance on open dumping and landfilling. Waste-to-energy (WtE) technologies are therefore attracting attention as a means of reducing waste volumes while recovering heat, electricity, biogas, or solid/liquid fuel. This paper reviews major WtE options, including incineration, RDF/SRF and briquetting, gasification, pyrolysis, anaerobic digestion, and landfill gas recovery, and examines seven pilot-scale projects implemented under JICA’s Public-Private Partnership Program. The cases were assessed in terms of waste stream and composition, financial sustainability, institutional and organizational capacity, demand for recovered energy or fuel, and social acceptance and public cooperation. The results show that technical feasibility alone does not ensure successful implementation. Reliable collection and pretreatment, secure product markets, appropriate regulation, local operation and maintenance capacity, and sustainable financing are equally important. The study concludes that WtE in developing countries should be approached as a system-design and capacity-development challenge adapted to local conditions, rather than as a stand-alone technology choice.