A REVIEW OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

摘要

Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) is one of the major environmental threats in the developing countries. These countries are challenged with a very rapid urbanization process which triggers lifestyle changes among the population inculcating a culture of conspicuous consumption. Such practices lead to unwarranted increase in volume and rate of generation of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). Unfortunately, the developing countries are not able to cope with these large volumes of MSW due to various bottlenecks at different stages of MSWM, such as, low collection frequency, improper transfer of collected wastes, unsafe treatment, and final disposal of MSW. In this paper, through a systematic mini review of literature, we sketch the present MSWM scenario in three countries- China, India, and Nepal- which are situated at different strata within the developing world. We contend that for effective MSWM these countries need to focus specifically on source reduction of waste, collaboration between various formal and informal stakeholders, education for waste generators, and involvement of private contractors. These tasks could be achieved through Integrated Sustainable Solid Waste Management which deals with factors like, policy and legal framework; institutional arrangements; operations management; financial management; public participation and awareness; and action plan for improvement with respect to sustainability.