Good Practice Study on GHG-Inventories for the Waste Sector in Non-Annex l Countries

The study aims to provide comprehensive guidance to policy makers and practitioners in developing countries [Non-Annex I countries to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)] for the preparation of national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories for the waste sector. Though GHG emissions from the waste sector are still comparatively low compared to other sectors, they are continuously rising in developing countries due to changing production and consumption patterns. Experience shows that emissions from this sector can be reduced significantly at relatively low costs. As a first step towards implementing policies and measures to reduce emissions from the waste sector, it is necessary to adequately quantify and understand the main reasons and sources of such emissions. A high-quality GHG inventory provides a solid base to answer these questions. Therefore the study outlines recommendations for GHG inventory development and specific issues related to the preparation of GHG inventories in the waste sector in developing countries. Further, the study is to support the estimation of GHG emissions in the waste sector by enhancing the understanding and demonstrating the application of the IPCC Guidelines. In addition, it analyses examples of good practices identified in several Non-Annex I countries. It is expected that these would assist developing countries to overcome barriers in the understanding of IPCC methodologies and to learn from solutions taken by those countries presented in the study.