How to use WasteMAP

Below is a guidance for using WasteMAP, starting with the map features, followed by the Decision Support Tool (DST). If you are interested in information on the data and methodology behind WasteMAP, please visit our Data & Methodology page.

The Map

Clicking View Map from the home page will take you to the main map interface, where you can view waste methane emissions data at the country, city, and site levels.

Country level

Select a country on the map. The map will zoom in and open an information pane on the right showing summary statistics for that country, as well as tabs for viewing solid waste disposal sites (i.e., landfills and dumpsites), and global emissions ranking.

Summary statistics contain a time series of per capita methane emissions from EDGAR and UNFCCC. Solid waste disposal sites contain a list of known disposal sites for the country you are viewing, and the corresponding methane emissions in tons per year. You can click on each site and go to the site-level view, which is explained below. Countries are ranked based on per capita emissions per year.

City level

Select a city within the country for which data is provided and an info pane with summary, solid waste disposal sites, waste characteristics, and current waste management practice appears on the right. You can also navigate to the DST to model methane emissions comparing current vs. alternative waste management practices. If you navigate to the DST from the map rather than the global site navigation, the tool will be pre-populated with data available for the map level you were viewing.

Site level

Select a site to view a pop-up with summary, solid waste disposal sites, plume view, and plume emission rates. Plume view and plume emission rates may not always be available.

The Decision Support Tool

Navigate to the DST from the city layer or directly from the menu navigation. Both pathways allow you to select an existing city or model time series methane emissions for a city we do not have data for. The tool gives you the ability to model emissions based on proportions of waste diverted (composted, recycled, anaerobically digested, or incinerated) and disposed as well as the percentage of landfills with gas capture. Here are the general rules you can follow for modelling city level methane emissions.

• The total % of composting, recycling, AD, and incineration cannot exceed 100%.
• The sum of % composted, recycled, digested and incinerated, cannot exceed the amount of total organic waste. For example, you may find that the maximum you can compost for a particular city is 48% when all other diversion scenarios are set to 0. However, that maximum allowable composted % drops when you add in other fields. These maximum percentages are location dependent.
• The sum of % recycled and % incinerated, cannot exceed the amount of total inorganic waste.
• Modeling outside of the allowed parameters will return an error (“Something went wrong. Please select another country/city”). Please note that the tool is not broken, but you have exceeded one of the hard to display thresholds. Lowering the percentage of one or more diversion scenarios will fix this error.