For more efficient management of ESSD(Environmentally Sound and Sustainable Development), the companies, government, and local governments have investigated a practical environmental management techniques, so-called Eco-Eco Balance(Economy and Ecology Balance). In general, waste management has been dependent on cost-analysis. But the typical waste management systems have limitation of treating overall environmental burdens. So, Life cycle assessment has been applied to assess and compare the environmental burdens of alternatives of waste management in Taejon City.
Basic framework utilized included goal and scope, inventory analysis, and impact assessment. In impact assessment, the effect scores was normalized, which divided each effect scores by the total magnitude of the effect score for one year in Taejon. And each environmental problem was weighed by the ratio the total magnitude of the effect score for one year in Taejon to assumed target standards.
The 7 alternatives based on composition of composting, incineration, and landfilling was constucked for the development of municipal solid waste management in Taejon. The results of life cycle assessment showed that the alternative 6(which is composting of all of compostable things, incineration of only combustible things, and landfilling of others) and the alternative 7(which is composting of all of compostable things, incineration of others, and landfilling of ashes after incineration) were best alternatives. In the result of cost anaylsis using WRAP (Waste Resources Allocation Program), the alternative 1(which is landfilling of all waste) was best alternative. This is because the landfilling cost is lower than the treatment cost of others such as incineration or composting in the city.
In this research, it was possible to develop the proper municipal solid waste management policy which was considered the environmental effect and economics simultaneously. On the basis of this research, other local governments can establish a waste management policy suitable to its own region.
