The economic assessment of the environmental and social impacts generated by a light packaging and bulky waste sorting and treatment facility in Spain: a circular economy example

The waste sorting and treatment facilities play an important role in the management of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), as they permit the materials to be prepared for their later reuse and recycling. The aim of this work is to carry out a technical–economic analysis of a sorting and treatment facility (STF) of light packaging and bulky waste in Gavà-Viladecans, Barcelona, Spain, by means of a methodology based on a social Cost–Benefit Analysis (sCBA), as it studies the private impacts and externalities (impacts related with environmental and social aspects) to determine the Total Benefit (the difference between revenues and costs) generated by the facility to decide whether it is operationally and economically profitable.

The key point of the case study is the identification, frequency, quantification and monetary valuation of the impacts generated by the facility, as well as the sale of materials, the CO₂ emissions and the increase in the availability of materials, among others. By applying the methodology, it has been possible to show that this facility is operationally (B_P?=?7.06 €/ton) as well as economically (B_T?=?55.72 €/ton) profitable.

The plant is highly profitable from a social and environmental perspective, as can be seen from the monetary valuation of the externalities. The STF fulfils a primordial function for the city of Barcelona and its environs, as it treats waste for later reuse and recycling, preventing waste from being sent to landfills and reducing the CO₂ emissions from the extraction of virgin raw materials, thereby helping to reach the objectives set by the European Commission. Finally, this paper provides a guide for future researchers and decision makers interested in the economic analysis of MSW management systems.