Solid Waste Management Plan (WaPla) Tool

WaPla is an open source waste management planning software intended to assist waste authorities from primarily smaller municipalities in low-income countries visualize and map waste flows within their waste management system. Based on the waste flows and other user inputs, values for unintentional persistent organic pollutant (uPOP) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are automatically calculated, while total annual and specific costs for individual processes within the system are also determined and summarized.

Primary objectives of WaPla:

  • Encourage user-friendly systems approach to waste planning
  • Reduce the open burning and open dumping of waste
  • Reduce GHG and uPOP emissions
  • Increase access to waste collection services
  • Improve waste-related public health outcomes
  • Optimize municipal resource use • Improve system cost recovery

Primary features of WaPla:

  • Accurate visual development of waste flows and processes within a waste management system based on municipal waste data
  • Overall system estimates for both GHG and uPOP emissions
  • Overall annual and specific (i.e., per tonne) cost determinations for the entire system and for each individual waste management process (e.g., landfilling, composting)
  • Ability to save work and develop scenarios for system improvement

WaPla (tool and manual) is available under the following link:

WaPla , opens an external URL in a new window

Funded by:

United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), opens an external URL in a new window

Developed by:

TU Wien, Institute for Water Quality and Resource Management, opens in new window

Concept: Richard David Lee, Johann Fellner

Software: Sabine Dworak, Anna Tomaselli

Legal disclaimer:

The software is provided 'as is', without warranty of any kind. Permission to use is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software. Accuracy of the results is not guaranteed and depends entirely on the accuracy of the data inserted to derive said results.