Abstract: Municipal solid waste incineration has become a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in China’s MSW treatment sector, while the GHG emissions during the transportation process have received less attention, especially in small and medium-sized cities. The slower pace of technological innovation and non-standard management in these cities may lead to higher GHG emissions due to unreasonable transportation routes and frequencies. To quantify the GHG emissions and reduction potential of transportation vehicles in the MSW collection and transportation link of Zhanjiang city, a GHG emission accounting model based on the actual transportation situation in Zhanjiang city was constructed, in accordance with 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, and the Monte Carlo simulation method was used for variable simulation. The results indicated that the GHG emissions from transportation vehicles of MSW collection and transportation chain in Zhanjiang city ranged from 5.20 t/d to 5.44 t/d, and carbon emission equivalent was 3.47-3.63 kg/t, which significantly increasing with the transportation distance. There is a considerable potential for GHG emission reduction in MSW transportation of Zhanjiang city. In the future, GHG emissions can be reduced through measures such as route optimization, rational siting, construction of MSW transfer stations and treatment facilities, application of information-based collection and transportation management systems, and commissioning clean-energy MSW transfer vehicles. Taking Chikan district as an example, if all MSW transfer vehicles are replaced with large-scale new energy-pure electric transfer vehicles, the reduction of GHG emissions can reach 86.52%, and the cost of using the transfer vehicles will be reduced by 31.88 million yuan after five years of operation. This study provides a scientific basis for optimizing MSW transportation routes and developing associated environmental management strategies.

Key words: municipal solid waste, collection and transportation, greenhouse gas, transportation costs, emission reduction