Waste-to-Energy: An Opportunity to Increase Renewable Energy Share and Reduce Ecological Footprint in Small Island Developing States (SIDS)

Small Island Developing States (SIDSs) are faced with challenges such as reducing the share of fossil energy and waste landfilling. This work summarizes the main aspects of 53 SIDSs that constrain economic development, energy sources, and waste management strategies. An integrative bibliographical review is conducted to synthesize the state-of-the-art of waste-to-energy (WtE) strategies and compare the technologies in light of their suitability to SIDS. The findings show that considering the large amount of waste produced annually, WtE technologies are of the utmost importance to reduce ecological footprints (EFs) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and to increase the share of renewable energy with the installation of incineration plants with energy recovery to replace fossil fuel power plants. Although WtE is recommended for all SIDSs, the Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, and South China Sea (AIMS) countries exhibit higher population density (1509 inhab/km2) and a high share of fossil fuel in their electricity mix, so that there is greater urgency to replace landfilling practices with WtE. The estimation of potential power generation capacity (MWh) from annual municipal solid waste (MSW) in each SIDS as well as the reduced land area required demonstrate the feasibility of WtE technologies. Only 3% of the landfill area is necessary for buildings and landscaping associated with a WtE plant able to treat 1 million tons of MSW, considering a 30 year lifespan. Furthermore, incineration with energy recovery benefits from high penetration worldwide and affordable cost among thermochemical processes.