Solid Waste Management Bangladesh
Solid Waste Management Bangladesh
Solid Waste Management Bangladesh
The views expressed in this paper are the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the
views or policies of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), or its Board of Directors or the
governments they represent. ADB makes no representation concerning and does not guarantee the
source, originality, accuracy, completeness or reliability of any statement, information, data, finding,
interpretation, advice, opinion, or view presented.
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Professor Dr. Md. Mahbubur Rahman, Vice Chancellor, Khulna University, Bangladesh
Dr. Md. Salequzzaman, Associate Professor, Environmental Science Discipline, Khulna University,
Bangladesh, and Research Fellow, Institute for Sustainability and Technology
Policy (ISTP), Murdoch University, Western Australia, Phone: +880 41 813239,
Fax: +880 41 731244, Email: [email protected] / [email protected]
Md. Mezbaul Bahar, Lecturer, Environmental Science Discipline, Khulna University, Bangladesh
Md. Nazim Uddin, Lecturer, Environmental Science Discipline, Khulna University, Bangladesh
Md. Atikul Islam, Lecturer, Environmental Science Discipline, Khulna University, Bangladesh; and
Md. Abdullah Yousuf al Harun, Lecturer, Environmental Science Discipline, Khulna University, Bangladesh
Abstract: Generation of solid waste (SW) is a major problem in urban areas, thus its management is one of
the important obligatory functions to not only urban local authority but also for the urban peoples. The
research focuses on existing solid waste management (SWM) system of Khulna City Corporation (KCC) area
for improving its inhabitant’s environmental health and how peoples perceived on SWM activities of the KCC
areas. The research also finds out the participatory management system through analyzing the peoples’
perceptions is an alternative to its regular activities. For example, house to house SWM. Finally the research
suggests some appropriate recommendations on how a participatory-sustainable solid waste management
system could be developed in the area of KCC to achieve its goals.
1. Introduction
Waste is nothing but useful material at wrong place. This waste management, particularly
solid waste management is one of the important obligatory functions of not only urban local
authority but also of the awareness of urban people. But this essential service of Khulna
City Corporation (KCC) is not efficiently and properly performed by the local bodies and
the people are not aware about this problem, resulting in many health, environmental and
sanitation problems. It is observed that lack of financial resources, institutional weakness,
improper selection of technology, transportation systems and disposal options, public’s
apathy towards environmental cleanliness and sanitation have made this service
unsatisfactory.
The fundamental objectives of solid waste management program are to minimize the
pollution of the environment as well as utilizing the waste as a resource. These goals should
be achieved in a way that is financially sustainable, i.e. using methods that can be afforded
by the community over the long term and with minimum risk to the persons involved.
Methods of solid waste management vary greatly with types of wastes and local conditions.
The best systems are designed by fixing together the fundamental goals, a clear analysis of
local conditions and factors, an understanding of the full range of technology options that
are available and an awareness of the traditional wisdom and systems that the local people
have developed.
1.1. Meaning of solid waste and its management
Solid wastes are all wastes arising from human and animal activities that are normally solid
in nature and that are discarded as useless or unwanted. It is a generic term used to describe
the things we through away that include garbage, refuse, trash, and others.
Solid Waste Management refers all activities pertaining to the control, collection,
transportation, processing and disposal of those in accordance with the best principles of
public health, economics, engineering, conservation, aesthetics and other environmental
considerations. It includes all the procedures from the source and final disposal which
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should not have any harmful effect to the environment or least environmental effect that
could be integrate by any physical or technical or social activities. This management also
includes all attendant administrative, financial, legal and engineering functions.
Participatory management is an approach that seeks to make the best use resources available
within the community with support from government or any NGO or organization. In
communities or user groups, take on more tasks and responsibilities, relieving agencies of
routine solid waste management and maintenance duties through and learning approach by
promoting changes of prevailing attitude, behaviour, norms, skills and procedures.
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250
150
100
50
0
Khalishpur R/A Mujgonni R/A Munshipara Nirala R/A Sonadanga R/A
R/A
Study Areas
1000
900
800
aste Generation, Kg.
700
600
500
400
W
300
200
100
0
Khalishpur R/A Mujgonni R/A Munshipara Nirala R/A Sonadanga
R/A R/A
Study Areas
1% 2%
2% 1%
5%
Domestic
10% Commercial
institutional
Clinic/Hospital
Street Sweeping
Drain cleaning
79% others
Figure-04: Sources of generated solid waste in KCC. (, Banerjee and Ahmed, 2005).
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6% 4%
Inorganic Hazardous
waste
Organic waste
Inorganic Non-
Hazardous waste
90%
Table 1: Quantity of degradable solid waste (in kg) in five residential areas of KCC
(Salequzzaman, Banerjee and Ahmed, 2005).
Composition Nirala Sonadanga(R/A) Mujgonni(R/A) Khalispur(R/A) Munshipara(R/A)
(R/A)
Bones 19.31 15.51 4.65 6.65 8.59
Cloth 8.658 1.557 6.96 7.763 2.95
Coir 18.93 7.137 6.44 14.39 9.57
Egg Shell 3.708 2.825 2.27 4.203 2.95
Feather 14.43 11.95 7.12 2.919 4.553
Fish Residue 34.456 20.57 23 10.507 7.66
Garden Trimmings 15.91 3.2 2.12 9.807 3.83
Meat Residue 23.331 13.581 20.58 4.495 5.57
Paper 45.04 6.89 14.85 30.24 8.48
Starch 27.503 26.022 22.41 26.291 13.03
Vegetables 651 149 139 356 327
Wood 17.154 0.991 3.7 1.343 3.71
4. Participatory Solid Waste Management System in KCC
In Khulna City the main responsibility of solid waste management system is on the Khulna
City Corporation. This Solid Waste Management System can be explained by two ways:
a) Collection and transportation of solid waste to the disposal site.
b) Resource recovery and composting of solid waste.
i) Conventional System:
Waste is generated in the home and usually stored until a small amount has been
accumulated. In the conventional system it is the responsibility of the householders to carry
their wastes to the nearest solid waste bins or similar facilities which are provided by the
city corporation and deposit wastes there. The city corporation is responsible for the transfer
of this waste from the roadside bins to the final disposal site. Usually the city corporation’s
truck visits these locations at regular intervals and collects and hauls the accumulated
wastes to disposal sites.
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Conventional Approach
In Khulna City Corporation there are 31 wards. Among these wards in 29 wards (except 22
and 29 no. ward) seventeen NGOs are working for Primary collection. In 31 no. ward the
maximum waste generated used for land reclamation of the surrounding low lying areas.
For secondary collection and conventional collection of solid waste city corporation has 34
trucks which have to provide trip more than one. The city corporation have 60 bigha own
land for dumping the solid waste at the edge of the Khulna city in the Rajbandh.
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Community Approach
Figure 08: Door to door waste collection. Figure 09: Van collection system.
Figure 10: Operation of the primary collection system: A rickshaw van collecting and
transporting waste.
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profession for their income and daily life maintenance. In general, wastes having some
market value are being reclaimed or salvaged in three stages:
In first stage, housewives separate refuse of higher market value such as papers, bottles,
fresh containers, old clothes, shoes, etc. and sell them to street hawkers. In second stage,
mostly children of slum dwellers ‘Tokai’ carry out salvaging by collecting different items of
low market value from waste collection bins. Scavengers at the final disposal sites do the
third stage of salvaging when municipal trucks unload fresh refuse. The reclaimed materials
reach the waste and old materials shop through street hawkers who purchase old materials
directly from households and through solid waste collectors who reclaim the materials from
bins and final disposal sites. These reclaimed materials require intermediate processing like
washing, drying and sorting. The refuse dealers separate the materials in proper form and
sell them to consumers as well as supply them to appropriate processing factories for reuse
as raw materials. Other mismanaged reusable/recyclable are going to different places such
as secondary disposal site, drain, low land filling, roadside & open spaces etc. More than
two hundreds and fifty shops in KCC areas and above one thousands of people earn their
lives depending on it.
2%
28% Plastic
Glass
Iron
55%
Paper
7% Animal Bone
8%
According to field survey it is estimated that at present 500 tokay’s are working for
collection of recyclable materials from Secondary disposal sites in KCC area. They
scavenge anything that has certain economic value in the market. For recovering, they use
either bare hand or bent rod or a wooden stick. They sell their recoverable material to
Hawkers or recycling shops and earn on an average 50 – 80 taka per day.
Table 02: Item and amount of recyclable materials at different locations in KCC (Murtaza,
Sarwar and Salequzzaman, 1998).
Average Quantity of Recycling Materials (Kg/day/shop)
Hazardous
Location of No. Animal Wastes (Saline
the Shops of Glass Metal Plastic Paper Bone bag, paint items
Shops etc.)
Sheikh Para 151 11.00 224.00 15.00 2.50 0.75 0.07
Fultala 2 25.00 121.00 30.00 7.50 - -
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Among the 17 NGOs who are working in KCC solid waste management there are 4 NGOs
make compost fertilizer from the solid waste. Khulna city corporation authority gives them
land for this activity. In present there are five composting factory. Among these Prism has
3, Rastic, Prodipan and Samadhan each has 1. In the city corporation region some
householders compost their waste to use in their home garden.
5. Peoples Perception
From the above discussion it is clear that the solid waste of Khulna city is a serious Urban
Environmental Problem. However it is not always perceived to be a problem and among
some development economists there is a view that people in poor cities like Khulna are not
likely to consider such issues as solid waste very seriously (Salequzzaman and Newman,
2000). Therefore, this study has conducted interviews of KCC people to obtain their
perception on solid waste, its management and appropriate policy suggestions.
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Figure 14: Solid waste dumping in the roadside of Gollamari Bridge ignoring the
environmental health (Photograph taken by Dr. Md. Salequzzaman).
In general, city dwellers think that because they pay taxes, it is the sole responsibility of the
city authority to provide them with a nuisance-free habitable city. To build a pollution-free
city environment, along with other things, requires an efficient urban management plan
(Salequzzaman, Awal and Alam, 2001). Execution of such a plan may not bring any
positive change unless and until cooperation from every section of city dwellers could be
ensured.
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Among the house holders, about 60% gives their waste to the waste collector or dumps into
the city corporation collection bin. The rest 40% had thrown their waste into roadside,
lowland, canals, drains or house premises (Figure 14).
House to house collection system supports 80%, communal 10% and others 10%. In Khulna
City waste from the house are collected during day time. This system support 80%
householder, the rest 15% night and 5% during afternoon. About 80% people known about
resource recovery from the solid waste but they don’t collect because in some household
these materials cause dirty, odor, risky for children etc. More than 40% people separate
resource such as paper, bottle, Plastic container, old cloth from the waste
More than 80% people of House holder, educated person, student, roadside shopkeeper,
people around the disposal site, scavenger etc. face several types of problem such as odor
pollution, air pollution, traffic jam, dirty roadside etc.
The opinion of different groups of people about the existing solid waste management
system in KCC is that 60% think this system is suitable, 20% think this system should
improve such as make regularity in collection, use covered vehicles for transportation of
waste, and increase of house to house waste collection system.
Most of the people suggest that the solid waste transportation through the KCC’s busy roads
during night time instead of day time. But the labors of KCC have some problem to work
during night time. The main problem is the lack of electricity. Because the waste generated
from different sources are not being separated, result in the solid waste contain hazardous
and toxic waste such as syringe, broken glass, hospital waste, and thy also afraid because
sometimes explosives may be hidden in the waste. Their security is also an important matter
of concern.
6. Discussion
It is evident that the city dwellers expressed their concerns about the solid waste
management system in KCC and its associated problems that they are encountering. There
are some hindrances in the KCC’s solid waste Management system. These problems are
arising from both the city corporation authority and the citizen of different levels. These are
as follows:
Households often behave contrary to schedules and rules of effective solid waste
management. Sometimes this is caused by a lack of facilities. If a transfer point or dumping
site is more than 100 meters away from their house, people tend to throw their waste much
more often in streets, open spaces and rivers. More often, however, it is due to households
lacking knowledge and incentives to keep to the rules of the collection system, and
operators lacking sanctions and authority.
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In most of the cases residents of a neighborhood have a sense of responsibility for their
home and immediate environment, but the public places such as streets and drains are
considered the responsibility of the State.
Willingness to pay is a rather central point because it is important for the success of a
Participatory solid waste management project and it is related to many other aspects such as
the motivation of operators and households and the reliability of the service . Salequzzaman,
Islam and Stocker, 2001).
Community perception of fees and of the waste collection service is essential for its
willingness to pay. If residents think they already pay for collection through taxes, or if they
do not trust the service, they refuse to pay.
The accountability to the community of the managers of a solid waste service also depends
on the composition of the management committee. Whether it is an elected body or
appointed by the local government, whether it consists of traditional leaders or modern
community organizations, or of influential individuals.
The salary of operators of waste collection services is often low, because waste collectors
derive their income from waste collection fees and from the sale of recyclables. Both do not
yield much revenue in low-income neighborhoods. Fee collection is not high, because
households in low-income neighborhoods are not able to pay high fees. The waste that
remains to be collected is often worthless due to its high organic content. Another reason for
the low salary of operators of waste collection services is the size of coverage areas, which
is often too small to earn an adequate income.
The low status of waste collectors in the society may be caused by their low salary, the
nature of their work and sometimes by their waste-picker background. The nature of their
work is often considered unpleasant and filthy, not only collection but also activities such as
sorting of garbage at a composting plant.
An unreliable service, which does not arrive in time or is not carried out according to the
expectations of the community, has consequences for the trust of the community for their
participation and willingness to pay for the service. It may be caused by a lack of
performance control, a lack of priority of the service when waste collection is carried out as
a part time job. If operators have formerly been waste-pickers, they may cause additional
reliability problems.
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7. Recommendation
To ameliorate this environmental problem, the following things could be done:
¾ Increase the facility of house to house collection in all areas of KCC.
¾ Assurance of regularity in collection and transportation of solid waste from the
house hold, bins and primary dumping stations.
¾ Separation and collection of separated waste separately from the house by increasing
awareness.
¾ Increase awareness for reduction of solid waste generation.
¾ Transportation of solid waste during nighttime instead of daytime. If it transport
during day time use cover on the waste transportation vehicle to reduce the odor
pollution and other associated problems.
¾ Increase the salary and safety of the labor who working in the solid waste
management system.
¾ Increase awareness to the people about the resource recovery from the solid waste.
¾ More composting of organic degradable waste and used as a fertilizer.
¾ Probability assessment of electricity generation from the solid waste.
¾ Establishment of sanitary land fill instead of open dumping if funds are available.
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Acknowledgement
The paper is the outcome of the field survey, sampling and relevant laboratory analysis by Mr. Md. Nurul
Amin (Out going student), Mr. Sharif Mahmood (4th year student) and Mr. Md. Mosharaf Hossain (4th year
student) of Environmental Science Discipline of Khulna University, Bangladesh. We acknowledge all of their
contributions with grateful thanks.
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