Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
12-1-2025
Abstract
The handling of municipal solid waste (MSW) in swiftly urbanizing Philippine cities poses intricate energy and governance challenges. In Baguio City, reliance on landfills has reached critical levels due to diminishing capacity, rising transport costs, and opposition to trash transfers by nearby LGUs. Although shaped by unique topographical and governance constraints, Baguio’s situation reflects issues faced by other rapidly growing Philippine cities; therefore, analyzing it offers insights for national MSW decision-making. This study applies a triple bottom line (TBL) framework to assess three management scenarios: (1) Status Quo, where all MSW is landfilled with no energy recovery; (2) Landfill with Energy Recovery [Landfill + Landfill Gas (LFG)], which captures and converts landfill gas into electricity; and (3) Pyrolysis [Thermochemical Conversion + Landfill Residuals], which processes combustible waste into syngas and char while disposing of inert residues in landfill. The engineering evaluation analyzes comparative system costs, potential energy output, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for each option. Findings show that pyrolysis yields the highest energy recovery and is the most cost-efficient alternative, while landfill with LFG achieves the lowest GHG emissions. These trade-offs highlight differing sustainability priorities across economic, environmental, and energy dimensions. The study recommends incorporating the most balanced scenario into Baguio’s smart-city initiatives to support adaptive waste routing and circular-economy goals. This approach can strengthen waste system performance in Baguio and serve as a replicable model for Philippine urban centers with similar constraints.
Recommended Citation
Edwin, Izech Brian O. and Recto, King Harold A., (2025). Data-driven Evaluation of Sustainable Waste-to-Energy Pathways for Intelligent Urban Systems. Archīum.ATENEO.
https://archium.ateneo.edu/ecce-faculty-pubs/195
Included in
Energy Policy Commons, Environmental Engineering Commons, Environmental Policy Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Oil, Gas, and Energy Commons, Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Commons, Power and Energy Commons, Sustainability Commons, Systems Engineering Commons, Urban Studies Commons, Urban Studies and Planning Commons
Comments
Presented in:
17th International Conference on Humanoid, Nanotechnology, Information Technology, Communication and Control, Environment, and Management
November 28 - December 1, 2025
Waterfront Hotel, Cebu City, Philippines