Techno-economic assessment of recycling practices of municipal solid wastes in Cyprus

In this study, the application of modern recycling technologies in accordance with the European and Cyprus legislation, aiming at the recovery of paper, glass, plastics, aluminium and non-ferrous metals from municipal solid waste (MSW) is presented. The international situation was reviewed, the general trends are marked and the main recycling practices treatments are reported. The paper presents also an overview of the current practices and their environmental implications in Cyprus, and discusses the design and feasibility of a recycling plant located in Pafos area. Three recycling practices for recyclables that were separated at source, varied by their level of automation (0%, 50%, 100%), have been studied from the technical and economic aspect. It was considered that source segregation of organic part from the MSW takes place and no organic matter reaches the recycling plant. A sensitivity analysis was carried out in order to define the most significant parameters affecting the viability of a recycling scheme. It is proved that a fully automated recycling plant with a capacity of 6 tn/h of recyclables located in the industrial area of Pafos, seems to be conditionally feasible and economically profitable solution. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.