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Rapid urbanization in Malawi is increasing municipal solid waste (MSW) generation, creating challenges for resource efficiency, climate resilience, and sustainable urban development. This study employed an integrated techno-economic, socio-economic, and life-cycle sustainability assessment to evaluate three institutional waste-to-energy (WtE) scenarios in Blantyre, Malawi. Scenario S1 involved anaerobic digestion for biogas production, S2; involved integrated biogas and bio-fertilizer production, and S3 involved combined heat and power (CHP) generation. Results revealed important trade-offs among energy recovery, economic performance, and environmental impacts. The integrated biogas and bio-fertilizer pathway (S2) exhibited the best overall sustainability performance, achieving the highest economic return with a net present value of US$1.74 million while enhancing nutrient recovery. Scenario S1 showed the lowest environmental burden, with a global warming potential of 36 kg CO 2 -eq t -1 . In contrast, the CHP pathway (S3) generated the highest electricity output but also recorded the greatest climate impact (≈721 kg CO 2 -eq t -1 ) and comparatively weaker economic performance. Socio-economic analysis indicated that the systems could create 16-30 full-time equivalent jobs. Overall, S2 emerged as the most balanced and practically implementable pathway for promoting circular economy development and sustainable urban transitions in Sub-Saharan Africa.
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Msiska et al. (2026) studied this question.