Municipal solid waste landfills in lower- and middle-income countries: Environmental impacts, challenges and sustainable management practices

Abstract

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is collected, transported, and disposed of in an unorganized and disordered manner in lower- and middle-income countries. Improper waste disposal in landfills can have severe environmental consequences in terms of groundwater, soil and air contamination, resulting in numerous health hazards. In India, Landfills require 1240 ha of land per year and only 21% of MSW is adequately managed. The remaining MSW is not reprocessed or recovered through treatment technologies and is generally disposed of in an un-hygienic landfill. Urban or rural solid waste is usually dumped in low-lying areas, which adds to the greenhouse gas emissions, obnoxious odor production and causes fire hazards that adversely affect the local ecosystem. Landfills contribute to CH4 production and about 29% of all GHGs emissions, which is more than 15% of the average global contribution. It is also noticed that by 2030 and 2050, global GHGs emissions will rise to 64% and 76% due to uncontrolled waste disposal systems. The study highlights effective solid waste management practices and discusses ways to manage it sustainably through resource recovery. As a result, the study concentrated on using waste-to-energy technologies that still require significant support for execution. The study concluded that waste-to-energy technologies need adequate financial and government support. Further, extreme resource recovery from the waste must be linked with a secure waste disposal system via engineered landfill construction and waste-to-energy plants' operation. Solid waste management also needs local corporations to effectively manage the waste services following national-specific policies and standards, including community awareness and participation, system responsibilities and use of emerging technologies. This will aid in reducing the adverse effects of MSW disposal and achieve the UN's sustainable development goals.