Benchmarking of the Current Solid Waste Management System in Karbala, Iraq, Using Wasteaware Benchmark Indicators

Abstract

Solid waste management (SWM) poses severe problems to the authorities of the city of Kerbala, one of the main tourism centres in Iraq. Due to the city’s limited funds, it is crucial to evaluate the priorities for improvements in SWM services to tackle this problem efficiently. This paper employed Wasteaware benchmark indicators for integrated and sustainable solid waste management to evaluate the city SWM system performance. The data used in this evaluation was collected by in-depth interviews with the management authorities and field observations over two months in 2016. The outcomes showed that the SWM system in the city is weak. It therefore requires several improvements in physical infrastructure and management. Disposal and recycling were the highest priority to be improved among SWM physical components. While, in the management, the authority should have clear strategy for SWM and stakeholders such as public, private waste sector, and informal waste collectors should be included in SWM planning to improve the management services. This study can provide a starting point for the city authorities to prioritise their actions to improve the current SWM system.