Urban management planning and policies for sustainable municipal solid waste management

Abstract

The safe and efficient management of solid waste is a complex issue, which poses formidable challenges particularly in modern urban societies. Uncontrolled industrialization, rapid population growth and changing lifestyles based on high consumption patterns have resulted in the generation of tremendous volumes of solid waste. Unfortunately, government agencies, particularly in developing countries like India, have neither the financial resources nor the technology for the safe and efficient disposal of the waste produced. Improper solid waste management (SWM) not only creates health hazards for the community but also has far-reaching socio-economic, political and ecological consequences, the impact of which could be catastrophic both at local and global levels. So, serious efforts need to be made to address this problem immediately. This dissertation discusses the scope of SWM and its historical background, as also the impediments to the efficient disposal of waste. It goes on to examine the systems of solid waste management in various countries including India and the USA (particularly the trail-blazing SWM programme that has been implemented in Onondaga County); the legislative measures that have been adopted to combat problems in the system; and factors that vitiate the smooth functioning of SWM systems, such as institutional weaknesses, regulatory issues, lack of funds, public apathy, the low socio-economic status of the workers engaged in solid waste collection, etc., and the remedy for this. An analysis of the data collected and the lessons that can be learnt from the experiences of other countries in this area suggest several practical strategies for initiating more efficient and safer SWM procedures. The research undertaken has been geared towards developing viable strategies for managing municipal solid waste (MSW) in the light of the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court of India and the MSW Rules framed there after For any SWM scheme to be function effectively, the adoption of an integrated, holistic, cost-effective and sustainable approach is essential. It will succeed only through the creation of public awareness and public-private sector partnerships that promote collective action and effort. The dissertation investigates this aspect at length by analysing the solid waste collection systems in several parts of the country that follow the public-private model, particularly the door-to-door MSW collection system introduced by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, which has met with gratifying success. Other measures, such as waste minimization, raising the status of waste pickers, institutional capacity building, better enforcement of regulations, imposition of user fees , the adoption of a free market approach, segregation of waste at source, etc., have also been suggested for successful MSW management. These recommendations should prove to be helpful in formulating the necessary policy changes so as to achieve optimum results.