Ineffective waste management that involves dumping of waste in landfills may degrade valuable land
resources and emit methane gas (CH4), a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide (CO2). The
incineration of waste also emits polluted chemicals such as dioxin and particle. Therefore, from a solid
waste management perspective, both landfilling and incineration practices pose challenges to the development
of a green and sustainable future. Waste-to-energy (WtE) has become a promising strategy catering
to these issues because the utilisation of waste reduces the amount of landfilled waste (overcoming
land resource issues) while increasing renewable energy production. The goal of this paper is to evaluate
the energy and carbon reduction potential in Malaysia for various WtE strategies for municipal solid
waste (MSW). The material properties of the MSW, its energy conversion potential and subsequent
greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions are analysed based on the chemical compositions and biogenic carbon
fractions of the waste. The GHG emission reduction potential is also calculated by considering fossil fuel
displacement and CH4 avoidance from landfilling. In this paper, five different scenarios are analysed with
results indicating a integration of landfill gas (LFG) recovery systems and waste incinerator as the major
and minor WtE strategies shows the highest economical benefit with optimal GHG mitigation and energy
potential. Sensitivity analysis on the effect of moisture content of MSW towards energy potential and
GHG emissions are performed. These evaluations of WtE strategies provides valuable insights for policy
decision in MSW management practices with cost effective, energy benefit, environmental protection.