This guideline focuses on Mechanical-Biological Treatment (MBT) technology for Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), mainly household waste and commercial waste, in urban areas of Asian developing countries.

The guideline aims to assist decision-makers and policymakers at the national and city levels and other stakeholders, such as energy plants, as well as manufacturing industries that are seeking sources of alternative fuel, to evaluate the feasibility of introducing MBT technology as an appropriate strategic option for improving waste management.

This guideline will:
(1) provide a holistic understanding about MBT technology including both advantages and disadvantages, as well as information about the technical and non-technical aspects of planning a sustainable MBT facility, and
(2) propose key evaluation criteria and a precheck flow in the decision-making process to objectively determine and evaluate criteria when considering the potential of introducing MBT technology.

The Composting Guideline is part of the Guideline Series that has been developed by the IGES Centre Collaborating with UNEP on Environmental Technologies (CCET) and the United Nations Environment Programme  International Environmental Technology Centre (UNEP IETC) in collaboration with NIES and the Japan Society of Material Cycles and Waste Management (JSMCWM) with financial support from the Government of Japan aiming to assist policy-makers and practitioners at both national and municipal levels in developing countries in selecting appropriate waste management technologies and executing related policies and strategies to improve their waste management systems.