Urban Solid Waste Generation and Management Issues Analysis of Solid Waste Disposal in the Kattankudy Urban Council Area, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Urban solid waste management is a problem for local authorities of many cities in Sri Lanka,due to rapid population growth and changes in consumption patterns of urban households,leading to large quantity of solid waste generation. This paper addresses solid wastemanagement in the Kattankudy urban council area in Sri Lanka. The study used mainlysecondary data collected from the Urban Council office and some discussions with UCofficials dealing with waste management. Total waste generation per day was 37,368 kg, totalbio waste per day of 21,371 kg (57.20%), total Non-bio waste per day 15,829 kg (42.36%),and total special waste per day 168 kg (0.44%). Total waste generated per day was composedof bio waste of 21,371 kg (57.20%), total Non-bio waste of 15,829 kg (42.36%), and totalspecial waste of 168 kg (0.44%). The total waste generation per person per day was 0.753 kg,0.43 kg of biodegradable waste, 0.32 kg non-biodegradable waste and 0.003 kg special wasteper person per day. It was estimated that about 54% of the revenue collected by theKattankudy UC was being spent on solid waste collection activities, which has hindered useof funds for other essential service provision such as repairs to roads, water supply andsanitation facilities. Findings indicate that massive amounts of solid waste are generatedwhich are difficult to collect and dispose. Some policy issues are discussed for a better wastemanagement strategy.