Abstract

Integrated waste management systems provide frameworks for waste reduction and extracting valuable resources such as energy, fuels, soil-nutrients, monomers and others. This paper examines the composition of waste in the municipal solid waste (MSW) stream in Akwa Ibom state and the resource recovery potential from each waste fraction. Furthermore, it highlights the various recycling techniques that would maximize the extraction of value from the stream. Mechanical and thermochemical recycling techniques for the plastics fractions, composting and anaerobic digestion for the food and organic fraction, and the recycling of the metals and paper fractions are assessed.

The study demonstrates that composting is the most sustainable and viable solution for treating the food waste fraction, while thermochemical recycling presents the best economic outcome for treating the plastics fraction in the MSW. Additionally, the challenges and opportunities associated with each method of resource recovery are explored. Lastly, the impact on energy use, natural resource conservation, air and water quality of each proposed solution was compared in order to determine its level of sustainability. The study concludes that resource recovery has a significant potential to improve waste management practices and contribute to a more sustainable future.