Evolution of the emission performances of MSW collection trucks

This paper addresses some aspects of the environmental impact, in terms of air pollution, of transporting Municipal Solid Waste (in particular, residual municipal waste from collection system). The present work highlights the importance of the adoption of real driving cycles in simulating the correct behavior of the Heavy Duty Vehicles used to collect and transfer the waste. Furthermore it evaluates the effects of the vehicle load, road gradient and “stop & go” driving cycle in the road transport emissions, between Compressed Natural Gas vehicle and diesel vehicle. The results, obtained from COPERT and ARTEMIS models, highlight that real driving cycles should not be neglected in an adequate waste management. Moreover, some balances related to the evolution of engine performances point out that the decreased impact gives higher flexibility to the management system.