FEBRUARY 2026 QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT OFPOLLUTION IN THE SANITATION,WASTE MANAGEMENT, ANDENERGY SECTORS FEBRUARY 2026 Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGO license (CC BY 3.0 IGO) © 2026 Asian Development Bank6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City, 1550 Metro Manila, PhilippinesTel +63 2 8632 4444; Fax +63 2 8636 2444www.adb.org Some rights reserved. Published in 2026. ISBN 978-92-9277-665-7 (print); 978-92-9277-666-4 (PDF); 978-92-9277-667-1 (e-book)Publication Stock No. TCS260030DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22617/TCS260030 The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and policiesof the Asian Development Bank (ADB) or its Board of Governors or the governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this publication and accepts no responsibility for anyconsequence of their use. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers does not imply that theyare endorsed or recommended by ADB in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. By making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area in this document, ADB does notintend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area. This publication is available under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGO license (CC BY 3.0 IGO)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/. By using the content of this publication, you agree to be boundby the terms of this license. For attribution, translations, adaptations, and permissions, please read the provisionsand terms of use at https://www.adb.org/terms-use#openaccess. This CC license does not apply to non-ADB copyright materials in this publication. If the material is attributedto another source, please contact the copyright owner or publisher of that source for permission to reproduce it.ADB cannot be held liable for any claims that arise as a result of your use of the material. Please contact pubsmarketing@adb.org if you have questions or comments with respect to content, or if you wishto obtain copyright permission for your intended use that does not fall within these terms, or for permission to usethe ADB logo. Corrigenda to ADB publications may be found at http://www.adb.org/publications/corrigenda. Cover photos by ADB. Tables, Figures, and BoxesAcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsWeights and MeasuresExecutive Summary ivvviviiviii Chapter 1: Introduction1Objectives and Scope1Major Approaches to Quantifying Pollution at Source2Methodology and Sector Coverage of the Study4 Chapter 2: Quantifying Pollution from Urban Sanitation5 Water Pollution Versus Water Quality5Baseline for Pollution Assessment6Estimating Water Consumption and Wastewater9Quantifying Sludge from Wastewater Treatment11Air Pollution: Odor11 Chapter 3: Quantifying Pollution of Landfills13Water Pollution: Estimating Landfill Leachate13Typical Characteristics of Leachate14Estimating Gaseous Emissions from Landfills15 Chapter 4: Quantifying Pollution from the Biotreatment of Waste18Quantifying Pollution from Anaerobic Digestion18Quantifying Pollution from Composting21 Chapter 5: Quantifying Pollution of Incineration23Water Pollution: Type, Scale, and Properties23Air Emissions Quantitative Assessment24Solid Waste from Incineration27 Chapter 6: Quantifying Pollution from the Thermal Energy SectorQuantifying Flue Gas Emissions 29Quantifying Solid Waste from Combustion33Estimating Water Pollution35 Chapter 7: Conclusion 37 Appendix: Soil Quality Standard and Discharge Standard41References43 Tables 1Major Constituents of Typical Domestic/General Wastewater102Excerpts of Odor Emission Standards at Facility Boundaries123Typical Pollution Range of Landfill Leachate154Default Values Versus Data on Degradable Municipal Solid Waste165Landfill Methane Emission Factors in the People’s Republic of China176Wastewater Characteristics of Municipal Solid Waste Digestion207Emission Factors of Digestion218Main Wastewater of Incineration249Wastewater Properties of Incineration2510Emission Factors for Incineration2611Actual Incineration Emissions at Discharge2612Share of Major Solid Waste from Incineration2713Reference Value of Key Parameters for Major Fuels3014Efficiency of Major Flue Gas Emission Treatment3015Air Emission Factors for Combustion by Major Fuels3216Main Wastewater Streams of Biomass and Gas-Fired Thermal Power Plants 3617Properties of Major Wastewater Streams of Thermal Energy Production3618Air Emission of Gas-fired Power Plants in the People’s Republic of China38A1Soil Standards in Viet Nam, 201541A2United States Standards on Land Application of Sludge (Excerpt)42A3Standards for Land Application and Utilization of Sludge42in the People’s Republic of China Figures1Emission at Sources as Starting Point/Input for Dispersion Modeling 22Diagram for Transport and Fate of Contaminants in Surface Water6 Boxes 1When Should Air, Water, or Sediment Be Tested and How?82