Effect of manual cleaning system on urban pollution and litter management in developing areas

Abstract

Litter is an important challenge in urban management, which is affected by the efficiency of the cleaning system. In this study, the efficiency of manual cleaning system in litter collection was evaluated by Clean Environment Index (CEI) in three land-uses. The results showed that in the study area, the density of litter was in the range of 0.011–0.736 number/m2. The cigarette butt was the most observed litter (0.183/m2). On average, 17% of the observed litter were plastic. Based on calculated CEI, all commercial areas were in a dirty or extremely dirty status, which included 40% of all areas. However, residential and recreational areas were in clean and very clean status, respectively. The average CEI in commercial, residential, and recreational areas was 22.59, 3.69, and 0.413, respectively. Although the efficiency of manual cleaning was suitable for residential and recreational areas, the pollution status in commercial areas showed the low efficiency of the manual cleaning system. Using alternative methods for commercial areas can improve the litter management.