The Solid Waste Management (SWM) sector is given a low-priority by the Pakistani Government, with the climate change agenda of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) being a priority-3 only, similar to other developing countries. Although sustained efforts have been made during the last decade to strengthen the SWM sector, all actions were focused on manual sweeping and waste collection without integrating waste treatment and disposal options. In this respect, the current model of SWM in the country was analyzed for efficient future planning to strengthen the sector waste management regime in line with the targets of Nationally Determined Contributors (NDCs) and SDGs. An assessment of the SWM sector was performed in eleven major cities of Pakistan, applying Waste-aware benchmarking indicators as strategic tools. The current study highlights the strengths and weaknesses of concerned local municipalities and Waste Management Companies (WMCs) along with interventions to reduce Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) emission targets by 2030. Proposed interventions from the environment and economy perspective will generate revenue to cater for up to 29% of the operational costs, and this will be an important step towards 100% self-sufficiency in the SWM sector.
Municipal solid waste management (MSWM) is a critical administrative, environmental and financial issue in low-income countries, such as Pakistan, where waste collection efficiency is less than 75% in all urban areas, except Lahore. Therefore, it is pertinent to develop practical decision-making tools to enhance waste collection efficiency by local municipalities and waste management companies (WMCs). A tool/calculator, holistically measure analyze forecast honestly (HMAFH), is proposed for waste collection in urban areas based on the lessons learned. The tool was developed considering local conditions, i.e., business environment, socio-economic and cultural dynamics, city infrastructure and stakeholders’ desires. It is flexible to various proposed waste collection modes, with heterogeneous fleet choices, and it presents an opportunity to integrate collection with a material recovery facility (MRF) or direct haulage to the disposal site. The HMAFH was tested successfully in the Lahore district. Based on the proposed scenarios, the result shows a material recovery of up to 33% by defining dedicated waste collection streams with a 26% saving on fuel. The proposed interventions can prove to be a defining step toward building a circular economy (CE) that allows the integration of treatment options with economic potential to account for 35% of the current operating expenditures and a reduction in greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission, i.e., 1,604,019 tons of CO2-eq./annum.
Solid Waste Management (SWM) is a technical subject which requires comprehensive planning, execution, and effective operational monitoring under cost-effective modes compatible with environmentally sound technologies. The policymakers made some enormous efforts for the sustainability of this sector as well as setting a benchmark for other municipalities and Waste Management Companies (WMCs) in the country. Provincial Government prioritizes its focus on SWM, i.e., waste collection, transportation, treatment, and final disposal. The waste management sector in Lahore has achieved sustainability in waste collection and haulage components by gaining experience from international outsourcing and, now, sharing its knowledge with other municipalities to strengthen the sector in the country. Lahore has emerged with the highest collection efficiency (84%) in SAARC countries and placed fifth in rank in comparison to 54 low–middle-income countries/cities worldwide. The sectorial interventions in Lahore reveal an aspiration for the sustainability of the SWM sector in Pakistan. However, there is an urgent need to focus and invest in waste-related infrastructure development, i.e., permanent/mobile transfer stations, semi-underground containers for commercial and planned areas, material recovery facilities (MRF), and landfill. Environmental and economic sustainability in this sector can be achieved through public–private partnership (PPP) modality in compost, anaerobic digestion, recycling, and refuse-derived fuel (RDF) as it is a more feasible option to strengthen the industry in the country.
Municipal solid waste (MSW) management is a global concern, especially in low–middle-income countries such as Pakistan, which require the redressal of MSW treatment issues to attain sustainability in the waste sector. The prosperity of municipal solid waste (MSW) collectors, i.e., the sanitary workers, is critical in the waste management hierarchy. Hence, the health, safety, social welfare, economic conditions and overall wellbeing of this tier need to be focused on more. Safeguarding the interests of the sanitary workers will support the MSW management sector in sustainability, which will help to generate revenue and minimize climatic impacts. An innovative MSW business model with waste ownership and technological intervention has excellent potential to support the sector towards a circular economy in Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world, generating about 100,000 metric tons of MSW per day. The proposed recycling business model will ensure a daily material recovery of 26,070 tons with 4721 tons of compost manufacturing in the country, which ultimately helps towards achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and meeting the targets of nationally determined contributors (NDCs) by 2030. In addition, the sector’s economic potential can contribute 5.5% to the total annual budget and possibly pay 1.4% of the gross domestic product (GDP) per annum to service national foreign debt, thus helping maintain the debt threshold value with an opportunity to accelerate the economic growth of Pakistan.
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