Evaluation of Environmental Impacts of the Current and Proposed Municipal Solid Waste Management System in the Districts of Bethlehem and Al Khalil, Palestine, Using Cost/Benefit-Analysis Methodology.

Abstract: Improper waste management can have large impacts on the environment and thepopulation. Spreading of deceases, degradation of groundwater and air pollution maycause major problems and give rise to a number of different secondary problems suchas economic losses and loss of aesthetic values. In Palestine these problems have beenacknowledged in the Palestinian Environmental Strategy, and the work for developingwaste management systems have been initialized. When deciding upon new policies regarding waste management (or any other policyfor that matter), the most reasonable way of doing this should be to compare differentalternatives on a scientific basis using transparent methods. If the alternatives areevaluated using “gut feeling” or if different methods are employed for differentalternatives, how can the comparison be considered fair? Therefore a number ofanalysis tools have been developed. Cost/Benefit Analysis (CBA) is one of them. CBA can be summarized as a method where the impacts of a system are somehowquantified, and those quantities are monetarized, i.e. a price is put on them per unit.This method has a number of difficulties and questionable aspects to it, but at least itis based on transparent information. The aim of this work is to quantify and, wherepossible, monetarize the impacts of the current waste management system and the oneproposed in the Palestinian Environmental Strategy. Four environmental indicatorshave been identified and quantified; Water Pollution, Air Pollution, Loss ofRecreational and Aesthetic Values and Landscape degradation. Only one of theseindicators have been monetarized though - Air Pollution. The results somewhat showsthe difference between a centralized and a decentralized system; a large difference inair pollution due to increased transports for the centralized scenario and a largedifference in local impacts such as loss of recreational and aesthetic values for thedecentralized scenario. When put in a context of impacts in other areas, such aseconomical, health and social impacts, the results may very well contribute to thedecision making process.