Municipal solid waste generation, composition, and management: the global scenario

Abstract

Purpose Due to the increasing population and prosperity, the generation rate of municipal solid waste (MSW) has increased significantly, resulting in serious problems on public health and the environment. Every single person in the world is affected by the municipal solid waste management (MSWM) issue. MSWM is reaching a critical level in almost all areas of the world and seeking the development of MSW strategies for a sustainable environment. This paper aims to present the existing global status of MSW generation, composition, management and related problems. Design/methodology/approach A total of 59 developed and developing countries have been grouped based on their gross national income to compare the status of various MSWM technologies among them. A total of 19 selection criteria have been discussed to select appropriate MSWM technology(s) for a city/town, which affects their applicability, operational suitability and performance. All risks and challenges arising during the life cycle of the waste to energy (WtE) project have also been discussed. This paper also gives a comparative overview of different globally accepted MSWM technologies and the present market growth of all WtE technologies. Findings It was found that most developed countries have effectively implemented the solid waste management (SWM) hierarchy and are now focusing heavily on reducing, reusing and recycling of MSW. On the other hand, SWM has become very serious in low-income and low-middle-income countries because most of the MSW openly dumps and most countries are dependent on inadequate waste infrastructure and the informal sector. There are also some other major challenges related to effective waste policies, availability of funds, appropriate technology selection and adequacy of trained people. This study clears the picture of MSW generation, composition, management strategies and policies at the worldwide context. This manuscript could be valuable for all nations around the world where effective MSWM has not yet been implemented. Originality/value This study clears the picture of solid waste generation, composition, management strategies and policies at the worldwide context. This manuscript could be valuable for all nations around the world where effective MSWM has not yet been implemented. In this study, no data was generated. All supporting data were obtained from previously published papers in journals, the outcomes of the international conferences and published reports by government organizations.

Awareness and Practice on Household Solid Waste Management among the Community People

“…The current study also showed the relationship between types of solid waste and practice. This result is closely similar or consistent with the previous study conducted in India by [18]. The reason for similar results was that maximum solid wastes were unhygienic, unhealthier as well as sources of the different germ which affect human health and contaminated the environment.…”

Municipal solid waste management: A review of waste to energy (WtE) approaches

“…Various reports have shown that increases in the quantity of waste generation worldwide have resulted due to the rise in population, urbanization, living standard, and industrialization in and around the town. Rapid industrialization is also responsible for people's migration from rural to urban areas for livelihood (Karak et al 2012;Dev and Siddharth 2020). Thus, every individual is affected by the solid waste generation directly or indirectly.…”

Current situation of solid waste management in East African countries and the proposal for sustainable management

“…In 5 years, from 2007 to 2012, Chinese WTE plants increased from 66 to 100 and since the beginning of 21 st century, the quantity of solid waste transformed to energy increased from 2 to 14 million tones. These rapid increases show relationship between economy and waste management system (Dong, 2011;Abdallah et al, 2019;Sharma and Jain, 2020). Economy of EAC countries is a big obstacle to the implementation WTE system, but characteristics of their solid waste and the will of different sectors show other opportunities which can solve this problem.…”