Waste Management Options and Their Potential to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions: A Case Study of Lithuania and Sweden

Abstract: This Master thesis connects two interrelated environmental issues – climate change and waste management. Both have been under discussion for few decades and are currently two of the top priorities on EU’s environmental agenda. The goal of this thesis is to find out in what ways waste management in Lithuania and Sweden can contribute towards reducing global warming and how the release of greenhouse gases could be reduced. Four different material flows – food, metal, plastic, and paper and cardboard – are examined and greenhouse gas reduction potentials are calculated, using data found in various reports. The case studies of Lithuania and Sweden help to find out the strong and the weak points of waste management systems in the two countries by comparing their differences. The results show that in Lithuania significant greenhouse gas reductions can be achieved by improving waste sorting and decreasing disposal rates, whereas in Sweden waste management is well-developed, but still could be upgraded by switching to more efficient waste treatment practices. The thesis is concluded by indicating the pros and cons of waste management in Lithuania and Sweden.