Environmentally Sustainable Municipal WasteManagement Strategy- A Case of Jamshedpur, India

Abstract

Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) plays an important role in sustainable development. The motivation for the present study includes the abysmal state and challenges in MSWM in urban India. The concept of zero waste is a latest one for confounding waste problems of our society. Urbanization contributes to enhanced municipal solid waste (MSW) generation along with unscientific handling degrades the urban environment and causes health hazards. The expansion of urban areas, industrialization and changing patterns of consumption results in increased municipal waste generation which deteriorate the quality of environment, posing risk to the sustainable development. The seriousness of the problem increases in a scenario where natural resources are decreasing, and the traditional system of landfills still being practiced extensively for solid waste disposal. This paper addresses the issue of MSW by taking the case of Jamshedpur. It discusses the present municipal waste management system, new technologies, projected population, and solid waste generation. In an evolutionary approach, it points out the challenges that the sector is facing and makes an attempt to suggest a way forward through new technologies and estimation of value-added products that can be produced from the solid waste...