Decoupling Index as an indicator of the ecological and economic sustainability of the solid municipal waste management system: Case study of Moscow

Cover Page

Cite item

Full Text

Abstract

To assess the sustainability of the municipal solid waste management system (MSW), decoupling index is used. This index reflects the impact of mismatch of the direct relationship between economic growth and consumption of natural resources (pollution production). For the first time, the authors calculated the decoupling index for Moscow MSW management system in order to assess the environmental and economic sustainability of the system. The methodology of the study was based on a numerical assessment of decoupling over a certain period of time using the ratio proposed by UNEP. Calculations of the decoupling index for the municipal solid waste management system in Moscow have shown relative decoupling between the solid waste generation in the city for the period 2020-2023 and the growth of the gross regional, with the exception of the period 2021-2022, when there was a sharp decrease in condensed municipal solid waste by almost 0.7 times and absolute decoupling took place. This indicates improvements in the MSW management system in Moscow within the framework of a circular economy. The study assessed the magnitude of the mitigated greenhouse gas emissions as a result of meeting targets by diverting MSW from landfills. The approach used to assess the decoupling index for Moscow, can serve as a useful tool for assessing the environmental and economic sustainability of the MSW management system of other cities to develop future policy scenarios for sustainable MSW management in the near future.

About the authors

Anna I. Kurbatova

RUDN University

Author for correspondence.
Email: kurbatova-ai@rudn.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-7763-5034
SPIN-code: 8177-8261

PhD in Environmental Sciences, Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Safety and Product Quality Management, Institute of Environmental Engineering

6 Miklukho-Maklaya St, Moscow, 117198, Russian Federation

Elena V. Savenkova

RUDN University

Email: savenkova-ev@rudn.ru
SPIN-code: 9083-6539
Scopus Author ID: 90004814

Doctor of Economics, Director of the Institute of Environmental Engineering, Professor, Department of Environmental Safety and Product Quality Management of Environmental Engineering

6 Miklukho-Maklaya St, Moscow, 117198, Russian Federation

Hani Abu-Qdais

Jordan University of Science and Technology

Email: qdaish@edu.jo
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-9370-8988

Prof. Hani Abu-Qdais, PhD, Water & Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering Department

Irbid, 22110, Jordan

References

  1. Abu-Qdais, H.A., & Kurbatova, A.I. (2022). The role of eco-industrial parks in promoting circular economy in Russia: A life cycle approach. Sustainability, 14(7), 3893. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14073893
  2. Akulov, A.O. (2013). Decoupling effect in the industrial region (the case of the Kemerovo oblast). Economic and social changes: facts, trends, forecast, (4), 28. (In Russ.).
  3. Bashirova, А.А. (2016). Determining the decoupling effect for problem areas in modern conditions (on the example of the regions of the North Caucasus Federal District). Management of Economic Systems: electronic scientific journal, 10(92), 4. (In Russ.).
  4. Bashmakov, I.A. (2020). Strategy of low-carbon development of the Russian economy. Economic issues, 7, 51–74. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.32609/0042-8736-2020-7-51-74
  5. Chen, X., Pang, J., Zhang, Z., & Li, H. (2014). Sustainability assessment of solid waste management in China: A decoupling and decomposition analysis. Sustainability, 6, 9268–9281. https://doi.org/10.3390/su6129268
  6. Chumakov, V.N., Fesenko, R.S., & Gorbunova, V.S. (2018). Assessment of ecological and economic development of the Leningrad region based on the decapling effect. Bulletin of Education and Science Development of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, 3, 42–48. (In Russ.).
  7. Fischer-Kowalski, M., & Amann, C. (2001). Beyond IPAT and Kuznets curves: globalization as a vital factor in analysing the environmental impact of socio-economic metabolism. Population and Environment, 23, 7–47.
  8. Fomina, V.F. (2022) Identifying the effect of decoupling in major economic sectors of the Komi Republic. Economic and Social Changes: Facts, Trends, Forecast, 15(1), 176–193. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.15838/esc.2022.1.79.9
  9. Hines, A. (2005). Limits to Growth: The 30‐Year Update. Foresight, 7(4), 51–53.
  10. Inglezakis, V.J., Zorpas, A.A., Venetis, C., Loizidou, M., Moustakas, K., Ardeleanu, N., Ilieva, L., & Dvorsak, S. (2012). Municipal solid waste generation and economic growth analysis for the years 2000–2013 in Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Greece. Fresenius Environmental Bulletin., 21 (8 B), 2362–2367.
  11. Kaazke, J., Meneses, M., Wilke, B.M., & Rotter, V.S. (2013). Environmental evaluation of waste treatment scenarios for the towns Khanty-Mansiysk and Surgut, Russia. Waste Management & Research, 31(3), 315–326. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X12473792
  12. Mazzanti, M., & Nicolli, F. (2011). Waste dynamics, decoupling and ex post policy effevidence from the EU15. International journal of global environmental issues, 11(1), 61–78.
  13. Mishulina, S.I. (2019). “Green” investments as an element of the mechanism of greening the regional economy. Sochi Journal of Economy, 13(2), 155–164. (In Russ.).
  14. Montevecchi, F. (2016). Policy mixes to achieve absolute decoupling: A case study of municipal waste management. Sustainability, 8, 442. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8050442
  15. Nurgisaeva, A.A., & Tamenova, S.S. (2022). Public-private partnership in the fi of the “green” economy of the megalopolis. Central Asian Economic Review, 3, 75–87. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.52821/2789-4401-2022-3-75-87
  16. Pu, L. (2021). Exploring the relationship between solid waste production and economic development and the infl factor in Chengdu plain economic zone. Environ. Pollut. Prev, 43, 266–270.
  17. Selishcheva, T.A. (2018). “Green” economy as a model of sustainable development of the EAEU countries. Problems of modern economics, 3(67), 6–12. (In Russ.).
  18. Shmeleva, N.V. (2023). Methodological approaches to assessing the resource effi of industrial ecosystems. Models, systems, and networks in economics, technology, nature, and society, 1(45), 70–84. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.21685/2227-8486-2023-1-4
  19. Shkiperova, G.T., & Kurilo, A.E. (2014). Ecological and economic assessment in the regional management system. Scientifi notes of the Russian Academy of Entrepreneurship, (41), 537–548. (In Russ.).
  20. Sjöström, M., & Östblom, G. (2010). Decoupling waste generation from economic growth — A CGE analysis of the Swedish case. Ecological economics, 69(7), 1545–1552.
  21. Starodubets, N.V., Belik, I.S., & Alikberova, T.T. (2022). Sustainability Assessment of the municipal solid waste management in Russia using the decoupling index. International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning, 17(1), 157–163. https://doi.org/10.18280/ijsdp.170115
  22. Valko, D.V. (2020). Sustainable development and circular economy: cross-country dimension. Management in modern systems, (1), 25. (In Russ.).
  23. Vinitskaia, N., Zaikova, A., Deviatkin, I., Bachina, O., & Horttanainen, M. (2021). Life cycle assessment of the existing and proposed municipal solid waste management system in Moscow, Russia. Journal of Cleaner Production, 328, 129407. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. jclepro.2021.129407
  24. Wang, K., Zhu, Y., & Zhang, J. (2021). Decoupling economic development from municipal solid waste generation in China’s cities: Assessment and prediction based on Tapio method and EKC models. Waste management (New York, N.Y.), 133, 37–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2021.07.034
  25. Wei, T., Wu, J., & Chen, S. (2021). Keeping track of greenhouse gas emission reduction progress and targets in 167 cities worldwide. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, 3, 696381. https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2021.696381
  26. Zakondyrin, A.E., & Lipina, S.A. (2022). Ecological concepts: comparative analysis. Izvestiya St. Petersburg State University of Economics, (4), 7–14. (In Russ.).

Copyright (c) 2024 Kurbatova A.I., Savenkova E.V., Abu-Qdais H.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.