Public policy and technology choices for municipal solid waste management a recent case in Lebanon

Abstract Municipal solid waste (MSW) is a natural accrual in various communities resulting from daily activities, which offers challenges and opportunities. Developed countries lean towards “upstream avoidance” type of solutions, while less developed countries use “downstream remediation” solutions. In between these two options, many hybrid solutions involve triage and final disposal of post-treated reduced MSW mass. The aim of the present article is to briefly review the evolution of policies related to MSW, to address an illustrative case of a recent crisis in Lebanon, and to present the development of a multivariate analysis model on public attitudes towards MSW management. It explores incineration with air pollution control and energy recovery. Non-incineration solutions, including anaerobic digestion, may be more appealing provided the full process, its byproducts and risks, are better understood. Furthermore, the latter solution requires a higher level of investment, expertise, continuous quality improvement and supervision, especially in light of public management weaknesses in less developed countries. A multivariate linear regression analysis model is developed and presented to describe public attitudes regarding MSW management. Linear regression was used to model a direct relationship between a response variable and several explanatory variables. A simplifying assumption is made to test the attractiveness of incineration with energy recovery (IER) including a process for air pollution control. In the multivariate analysis, the dependent variable is a composite index that describes the extent to which respondents agree with a potential IER solution. The independent variables include (1) the extent of public awareness-building about upstream triage, (2) privatization, (3) quality management in daily operations, (4) challenges in implementation and (5) reliability of public management authorities. The multivariate analysis showed that there is a statistically significant and positive correlation with a requisite quality in daily operations, and in technological upfront investment. It showed a statistically significant and negative correlation with the reliability of public management and privatization. As for public awareness about upstream household level triage, there was no statistically significant correlation. This last result seems counter-intuitive, but it may be due to the fact that respondents have low expectations about the impact of their actions on government decisions. The general public, faced with socio-economic problems, may not see household triage as a determining factor. Public perception is that triage ends up with a MSW collection and transport with a mixed dumping at final destination. The analysis shows that prevention is preferred to remediation and that it requires supporting public policies to make it practical, especially in less developed countries. Bio-processes are well-accepted and may become part of the local practice once their long-term effects become better understood to mitigate potential risks. The IER option is perceived as technologically and financially viable and that clear public policies should be designed and implemented.