Evaluating the Efficiency of Vermicomposting for Organic Waste Management in Latakia

Abstract

The city of Latakia produces about 1,200 tonnes of municipal solid waste daily, with organic waste accounting for approximately 67.7%. The solid waste disposal process relied on random landfilling at the Bassa landfill until the end of 2021, followed by the activation of the Qasiyah landfill at the beginning of 2022, yet the necessary infrastructure has not been fully completed, leading to negative environmental impacts. This research focused on using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach to select the optimal strategy for managing organic waste. To determine the most environmentally suitable scenario, three main scenarios were adopted: random landfilling, anaerobic digestion, and vermicomposting. The functional unit for the study was chosen as 1 tonne of organic waste generated in Latakia. Data were collected from references and field data in Latakia. The ReCiPe 2016 EndPoint (H) methodology was adopted with damage categories represented by human health, ecosystem quality, and resource depletion. The results showed that random landfilling represents the worst scenario, while vermicomposting was the best option, followed by anaerobic digestion.