Keith Weitz

Since 1992, Keith Weitz has worked with RTI clients to conduct waste sector research including management strategy analyses, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory and mitigation analyses, life-cycle assessments, and technology assessments. He leads the on-going development of a computer-based decision support tool—Municipal Solid Waste Decision Support Tool (MSW DST)—to support the evaluation of cost and life-cycle environmental impacts of alternative solid waste management strategies. He has applied this tool to support more than 100 studies for international, federal, state, local, and commercial clients to help them better understand cost and environmental impacts and optimize their waste system performance.

Mr. Weitz leads work to assess the vulnerability of waste sector infrastructure to climate impacts, such as sea level rise, in coastal regions. He also conducts analyses for specific waste streams—for example, estimating wood waste generation in the U.S. and characterizing the cost and the environmental and social impacts related to the management of wood waste. Mr. Weitz works with clients to understand the cost, energy, and environmental aspects of emerging waste-to-energy technologies such as gasification, pyrolysis, hydrolysis, and anaerobic digestion. He supported the U.S. Army’s NetZero initiative to identify waste management strategies that meet the NetZero carbon emission reduction goals. He is also part of a team providing support to the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, for which he is helping to formulate a strategy, planning, and policies and regulations for waste management in the Emirate.

He also provides senior expertise to support waste-related projects, including the characterization and mitigation of GHG emissions from the solid waste sector, such as EPA’s non-CO2 GHG emissions inventory, international assessment of non-CO2 GHG mitigation options, and accounting for biogenic CO2 emissions from the waste sector.