Selection of waste to energy technologies for municipal solid waste management—towards achieving sustainable development goals

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) play an essential role, emphasizing responsible resource use, production, and consumption, including waste management. In addition, SDG 3, 7, 11, 12, and 13 are directly/indirectly related to waste management. This study aims to determine a suitable waste-to-energy (WtE) technology in Chittagong City, Bangladesh, focusing on cleaner technology. Anaerobic digestion, gasification, incineration, and landfill gas (LFG) recovery were considered as possible alternatives. Technical, economic, environmental, and social issues have been considered as necessary criteria for evaluation. An analytical hierarchy process was applied to rank these technologies based on stakeholders’ perceptions. The study found that anaerobic digestion (AD) ranked first, receiving 38% of overall weight. The second preferred technology is LFG (27%). Gasification and incineration stood at third and fourth, respectively (21% and 14%). According to a sensitivity study, the decision is only sensitive to the economy. LFG will become the most favoured solution for WtE conversion if the economy prioritizes more than 38%. Subsequently, this study’s findings will help achieve Bangladesh’s SDG agenda.