Assessment of greenhouse gas emissions from waste management in the shopping center: A case study of the Central Plaza Rattanathibet, Thailand

Abstract

Human activities contribute significantly to anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including waste management in shopping centers.This research aimed to investigate the waste composition and evaluate the GHG emissions associated with waste management in the Central Plaza Rattanathibet, Thailand. The study compared the Busines-as Usual waste management practices (Scenario 1: BAU) with a Zero Waste management approach (Scenario 2: ZW). In scenario 1: BAU, waste management solely relied on landfilling, whereas the ZW scenario in corporated four distinct waste management approaches: landfilling, composting, refuse-derived fuel (RDF 5), and recycling. The findings revealed that the shopping center generated1,967.47 tonnes of waste/ year in 2022. The waste composition was analyzed using the quartering method, and the five most prevalent types of waste were identified as food waste (39.28%), other waste (24.63%), plastic waste (15.52%), paper and board (10.48%), and glass (5.45%). Using the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for Greenhouse Gas  National Inventories, BAU Scenario relied solely on landfilling  for waste management, resulting in GHG emissions of 999.93 tonne CO₂eq/tonne of waste. In contrast, the ZW scenario in corporated four distinct waste management approaches: landfilling, composting, refuse-derived fuel (RDF 5), and recycling, which resulted in GHG emissions of -599.54 tonne CO₂eq/tonne of waste. This negative value indicates that the waste management practices in the ZW scenario resulted in a net reduction of GHG emissions compared to the BAU scenario. This reduction was achieved through the implementation of waste management practices such as RDF 5, composting, and recycling, which directly reduced GHG emissions in the ZW scenario.Additional, encouraging customers and staff to sort waste in the shopping center improves waste management. The GHG emissions data from this study are valuable for policymakers in the Nonthaburi municipality to address climate change and implement mitigation measures.