A comparison of municipal solid waste management in Berlin and Singapore

Journal Article · Sat May 15 04:00:00 EDT 2010 · Waste Management

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2009.11.017· OSTI ID:21357668

Keat, Tan Soon ^[1]; Gersberg, Richard M ^[2]

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1. Maritime Research Centre, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798 (Singapore)
2. Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, Hardy Tower 119, 5500 Campanile, San Diego CA 92182-4162 (United States)

A comparative analysis of municipal solid waste management (MSWM) in Singapore and Berlin was carried out in order to identify its current status, and highlight the prevailing conditions of MSWM. An overview of the various aspects of MSWM in these two cities is provided, with emphasis on comparing the legal, technical, and managerial aspects of MSW. Collection systems and recycling practiced with respect to the involvement of the government and the private sector, are also presented. Over last two decades, the city of Berlin has made impressive progress with respect to its waste management. The amounts of waste have declined significantly, and at the same time the proportion that could be recovered and recycled has increased. In contrast, although Singapore's recycling rate has been increasing over the past few years, rapid economic and population growth as well as change in consumption patterns in this city-state has caused waste generation to continue to increase. Landfilling of MSW plays minor role in both cities, one due to geography (Singapore) and the other due to legislative prohibition (Berlin). Consequently, both in Singapore and Berlin, waste is increasingly being used as a valuable resource and great efforts have been made for the development of incineration technology and energy recovery, as well as climate protection.

• OSTI ID: 21357668
• Journal Information: Waste Management, Journal Name: Waste Management Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 30; ISSN WAMAE2; ISSN 0956-053X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ASIA
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CLIMATES
COMBUSTION
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
ENERGY RECOVERY
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
EUROPE
EVALUATION
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY
ISLANDS
LEGAL ASPECTS
MANAGEMENT
OXIDATION
RECYCLING
SINGAPORE
SOLID WASTES
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
URBAN AREAS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WESTERN EUROPE