*T?*. Fa- Fact Sheet Cutting To Cut "Today's software tools empower waste planners with the ability to design the most effective waste management strategies for achieving their environment goals." Eugene Lee U.S. Environmental Protection Agency In 1998, the United States generated 220 million tons of munici- pal solid waste (MSW). The landfilling and combustion of this waste resulted in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 65 million metric tons of carbon equivalent (MMTCE). Today, a variety of software programs and models are available to help managers and planners reduce emissions at state, local, business, and institu- tional levels. These tools can enable them to determine the impact of their practices on climate change and the environment, as well as strategies to reduce those impacts. Comparison of Three Waste Management Tools The WAste Reduction Model (WARM) was developed by ICF Consulting for EPA's Climate and Waste Program. The Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) Campaign Greenhouse Gas Emission Software was produced by Torrie Smith Associates for the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI). The MSW Decisions Support Tool (DST) was developed by EPA's Office of Research and Development and the Research Triangle Institute (RTI). Each tool targets spe- cific end-users to satisfy unique needs and constraints. Comparison of Tools at a Glance WARM CCP MSW DST Primary to End-Users Type of Emissions Sectors All waste management planners GHG Waste Municipal government planners GHG, criteria pollutants Waste, energy, and State and local planners GHG, criteria pollutants, +30 other pollutants Waste Model Outputs Emissions Costs Free transportation* Emissions, energy use, cost $240- $2,000 Emissions, energy use, cost, policy targets, cost and benefit optimization Variable *The user can input direct greenhouse gas emissions from any identified source, if the data are available. The WAste Reduction Model The WAste Reduction Model (WARM) is a user-friendly software tool that enables waste managers to compare GHG emissions from business-as-usual waste management practices with emissions from alternative strategies. WARM covers 17 types of materi- als and 5 waste management options: source reduction, recycling, combustion, compost- ing, and landfilling. WARM also accounts for transportation distances to disposal and recycling facilities, carbon sequestration, and utility offsets that result from landfill gas collection and combustion. WARM users input data on the amount of waste handled by material type and man- agement practice, and WARM instantly cal- culates the associated emissions in metric tons of carbon equivalent (MTCE) for base- ------- line and alternative scenarios. The difference between alternative emis- sions and baseline emissions repre- sents the benefits of changing your waste management practices. Available free on the Web and in Microsoft ExcelŽ, this program is ideal for waste planners to track and report voluntary GHG emission reductions from waste management practices and to compare the climate change impacts of different approaches. CCP Software The Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) Campaign Greenhouse Gas Emission Software is targeted for use by local governments. This Windows-based tool can analyze emissions and emissions reductions on a community-wide basis and for municipal operations alone. The community-wide module looks at residential, commercial, and industrial buildings, transportation activity, and community-generated waste. The municipal operations module looks at municipal buildings, fleets, and waste from in-house operations. In addition to computing greenhouse gas emis- sions, the CCP software estimates reductions in criteria air pollutants, changes in energy consumption, and financial costs and savings associated with energy use reductions. The software supports quantification of emissions reductions from waste reduction, source reduction, energy savings, and fuel switching. Users can employ the preformatted charts and reports to develop cost-effective action plans to monitor progress on reducing emissions. CCP software subscriptions, which include technical support, are available to governments that are members of ICLEI for a subsidized price of $240. The full retail price of the software in the United States is $2,000. MSW Decision Support Tool The MSW Decision Support Tool (DST) is intended for use by solid waste planners at state and local levels to analyze and compare MSW management strategies with respect to cost, energy consumption, and environmental releases to the air, land, and water. As such, this tool calculates projected emissions of greenhouse gases, criteria air pollu- tants, and emissions of more than 30 air- and water-borne pollutants. The MSW DST is designed to model emissions associated with municipal waste activities, including emissions from source reduction, waste collec- tion and transportation, materials recovery facilities, transfer stations, compost facilities, combustion and refuse-derived fuel facilities, and land- fills. The MSW DST can be used to per- form complex analyses, such as deter- mining the most cost-effective or most energy-efficient waste manage- ment strategy for reaching specific policy goals (e.g., how best to divert 40 percent of landfill waste by 2005). This modeling tool is available to the public on a case-by-case basis. The MSW DST studies vary in cost, with simple analyses offered at no charge, and complex analyses gener- ally starting at $10,000. In addi- tion, a supporting life cycle invento- ry (LCI) database for North America is planned for release in the fall of 2001. This comprehensive database contains environmental emissions and cost data on waste management activities, materials production, equipment usage, transportation, and energy production. Benefits Solid waste management practices can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the waste sector, as well as reduce upstream and downstream emissions. Empowering waste managers and gov- ernment planners with information on the climate and other environmental impacts of their current activities and alternative practices enables them to design the most effective strategies for maximum environmental, econom- ic, and social benefits. Additional Information For EPA's WAste Reduction Model (WARM), see www.epa.gov/mswclimate For the CCP Software, contact ICLEI at http://www.iclei.org For the MSW DST and LCI, contact Keith Weitz, of RTI, at Kaw@rti.org, or Susan Thorneloe, of EPA, at Thorneloe.Susan@epa.gov EPA's Climate and Waste Program increases awareness of climate change and its link to waste management in order to (1) make greenhouse gas emissions a factor in waste management decisions and (2) employ waste management as a mitigation action for reduc- ing greenhouse gas emissions. For additional information on EPA's Climate and Waste Program, see www.epa.gov/mswclimate. Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5306W) ' 1 EPA 530-F-02-024 July 2002 www.epa.gov Recycled/Recyclable Printed with Vegetable Oil-Based Inks on Recycled Paper (Minimum 50% Postconsumer) Process Chlorine Free ------- |