Municipal Solid Waste Knowledge Platform

The general objective of this pre-feasibility analysis is to assess the feasibility of building a composting plant in Arequipa by analyzing the technical, economic and environmental aspects of the project. In particular, the analysis includes an evaluation of the project in terms of technology, capacity, capital, and operational costs, revenues and relevant financial indicators such as NPV and IRR.

The specific objectives of this study are:

1. Present a general overview of the solid waste management regulatory and institutional framework in Peru and Arequipa;
2. Present a general overview of the current situation of the solid waste management sector in Arequipa;
3. Present a general assessment of organic waste treatment alternatives and the rationale for selecting the composting option;
4. Develop a project concept design, including, an assessment of the potential organic waste available for the project, a definition of two possible composting scenarios based on the organic waste available, a description of the composting technology and processes for each scenario, and the location and outlay of the plant;
5. Conduct an analysis of the capital and operating and maintenance costs of the composting plant in each scenario;
6. Conduct a financial analysis for each composting scenario, including NPV and IRR calculation;
7. Assess the potential for greenhouse gas emissions reductions in each scenario and the sustainable development co-benefits of the project.

The Center for Clean Air Policy (CCAP), an implementing partner of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) Municipal Solid Waste Initiative, provided on-the-ground financial, policy and technical assistance to the Provincial Municipality of Arequipa (MPA) to develop a financial work plan and support implementation of an organic waste management project that can reduce short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and deliver other social and economic co-benefits.

This project aims to develop a composting plant at the municipal landfill to process organic waste coming mainly from municipal markets and the maintenance of Arequipa’s green areas. This initiative is expected to contribute to the achievement of environmental goals set by the national government while resulting in benefits such as extending the lifetime of the landfill, reducing the generation of methane emissions and leachate, and producing valuable compost for agriculture and green areas maintenance in a region characterized by water scarcity and arid soils due to its desert climate. More specifically, this project could lead to cumulative emissions reductions ranging between 31,000 and 146,000 tons of CO2e over a 20-year period compared to a business-as-usual scenario.

In the context of this project, CCAP has produced an initial assessment report of the municipal solid waste management context in the municipality of Arequipa, a high-level pre-feasibility analysis to assess the feasibility of the project, and a risk assessment of the project.

Building upon this work, CCAP presents now a financial work plan to support successful financing and implementation of the project. The general objective of this financial work plan is to provide the municipality with an assessment of the financial needs of the project, an overview of financing options for the project and a work plan outlining the activities to implement the recommended financing option to ultimately achieve implementation.