Modeling Municipal Solid Waste Management in Africa: Case Study of Matadi, the Democratic Republic of Congo

The purpose of this article is to present the key elements for best performance and profitability of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management in a low-income city. The research provides an overview of methods and models for integrated planning of a two-phase program: MSW collection and transportation, and MSW treatment. We present the case study of Matadi (the Democratic Republic of Congo) that has a low level of the MSW management compared to other African cities. We develop a spreadsheet model for collection and transportation of MSW which is relevant for low-income cities and enables determining the waste collection fee. A CDM decay model is used to predict the GHG emissions in disposal site. The MSW treatment plant in case of Matadi is evaluated. For the anaerobic digestion technology selected as appropriate for this plant, the key factors that ensure profitability of the plant are as follows: tipping fee from the municipality (19% of total revenue), amount of carbon credits which can sum up to 16% of the total revenue, expansion of waste collection range from 25 to 50 km. The methods of this study can be used for solving waste problem in other low-income cities where the budget for municipal services is scanty, particularly when starting from a very low level of MSW management.