Sustainable Solid Waste Management System Research Articles

Study of sustainable solid waste management system of Carocok Beach Painan tourism area using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method

This study aims to assess the environmental impact and compare two scenarios of the solid waste management system of the Carocok Beach Tourism Area using the Life Cycle Assessment method. System boundaries include operational and technical aspects of waste management, the energy required, and emissions generated. The functional unit is 30.546 kg/day of waste treated. Scenario 1 is the existing conditions using a city-scale approach with a 1% reduction of waste at the source by scavengers, using a collection of motorized pedicabs, applying transportation to landfills by arm roll truck, and processing Integrated Solid Waste Treatment Plant by composting and landfilling with controlled landfill operation. Scenario 2 is the planning system with different phases of waste processing at the Recycling Center by composting and recycling with plastic chopping machines, producing handicrafts, and practices of sanitary landfill on landfilling. The impact assessment method uses the CML-IA method. The impact categories studied are Global Warming Potential (GWP), Acidification Potential (AP), and Eutrophication Potential (EP). Scenario 2 showed the best scenario because it has a smaller impact value for the three impact categories. However, to become a more sustainable management system, some improvement options recommended include a substitution of collection and vehicle fuel and waste processing using the Takakura method.

Establishing Spatial Characteristics of High-Density Residential Neighbourhood That Can Influence a Sustainable Solid Waste Management System in Kasarani, Nairobi

Establishing Spatial Characteristics of High-Density Residential Neighbourhood That Can Influence a Sustainable Solid Waste Management System in Kasarani, Nairobi

A system dynamics model and analytical hierarchy process: an integrated approach for achieving sustainable solid waste management system.

Waste management in low-income countries faces challenges with an average cost of $35/ton approximately 51% collection efficiency. Despite investments in treatment, processing, and recycling, the system remains unsustainable owing to poor planning and policies. The current analysis of Lahore's solid waste management (SWM) system, selected as a major city of a low-income country as a case study, focuses on collection efficiency and waste generation. However, it neglects the complex and dynamic nature of SWM systems. To capture the complexities and dynamic nature of the SWM system, system dynamic (SD) modeling is proposed for its effectiveness in modeling complex and dynamic systems. Unlike previous attempts at SD modeling that mostly consider only some components of the SWM system with varying success, this study attempts to use a holistic approach by considering all aspects of an integrated SWM system. In addition, this study explores different financial and management policies, highlighting the weaknesses of the system through a quantitative comparison of three scenarios: (1) business-as-usual (BAU) which considers the current trends in waste generation and practices of collection and disposal to landfill, (2) waste treatment system (WTS) in which various waste treatment systems are included to reduce burden on landfill, and (3) introduction of user fee with awareness campaigns (UFAC) which encourages community participation towards reduction in waste generation and financially supports the SWM. All three scenarios use four indices: waste generation, waste ending up in landfill, uncollected waste, and annual budget deficit as performance indices. These scenarios were simulated over a 25-year period using an SD model, covering all six components of the SWM system. The BAU scenario shows a 16% increase in waste generation, a 173% increase in landfill waste, an 11% reduction in uncollected waste, and a 64% increase in the budget deficit over the simulation period, indicating an unsustainable SWM system. The WTS scenario exhibits a 16% increase in waste generation, a 155% increase in landfill waste, an 11% reduction in uncollected waste, and a 61% increase in the budget deficit, showing a significant reduction in landfill waste and a slight reduction in deficit but it remains unsustainable. The UFAC scenario, however, results in a 40% reduction in waste generation, a 67% decrease in uncollected waste, an 8% decrease in landfill waste, and a 59% decrease in the budget deficit. These results demonstrate that instituting user fees for SWM services and incentivizing community participation towards waste reduction and segregation can make the SWM system of Lahore sustainable. This SD model provides insights for policymakers, aiding what-if analyses and long/short-term waste management plans for metropolitan cities in low-income countries. To validate the sustainability judgments based on performance indices, the analytical hierarchy process (AHP), a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) tool commonly used for ranking policy decisions based on competing criteria, was employed. It considered the same four criteria as in the SD model. The results of the AHP analysis aligned with those of the SD model, ranking the UFAC scenario as the most sustainable option.

Sustainable solid waste management system using technology-enabled end-of-pipe strategies

Ever Increasing accumulation of solid waste, attributed to population growth and rapid urbanization, is a serious issue for all nations. This creates hindrance in implementing sustainable solid waste management systems (SWMS), which contribute to socio-economic-environmental-operational (SEEO) benefits for the nations and their citizens. Limited understanding of various solid waste management (SWM) practices, their operational sequence, and other system constraints pose numerous challenges for the concerned authorities and policymakers. This paper provides a framework depicting three broad categories of strategies for managing solid waste: preventive, end-of-pipe (EOP), and environmental restoration. Among these, the research emphasizes on EOP strategies, being suitable alternative as per current requirements, to deal with massive amounts of generated waste. It further adopts Grey-DEMATEL approach to models the causal relationship among EOP strategies to identify the most influential strategy, which influences other ones. The model suggests waste segregation to be the major enabler for other EOP strategies, as it has maximum overall significance value (R + C) between 1.18 and 1.41 and it is the only one with positive value in “net-effect” computation (R–C), compared to other strategies with negative (R–C) values. This would enable concerned authorities to understand and follow the sequence of actions. Finally, a comprehensive framework is proposed for effective, efficient, and sustainable methods of handling different types of solid waste using technology-enabled EOP strategies. A case study is performed to demonstrate the significance of waste segregation towards SEEO benefits. It indicates that technology-based solutions at decentralized depots and establishment of biogas plant in the vicinity of garbage collection point leads to reduction in transportation cost and energy saving in efficient manner. The ground level implementation of our research in an Indian city resulted in the reduction of daily vehicle requirement from 25 to 20 vehicles, leading to approx. 25% savings in overall transportation costs thereby cutting exchequer's bill by up to $ 2820/month. It also reveals that mechanized and decentralized solutions were not effective for inert waste, its disposal to landfill was more suited alternative.

Enhancing Municipal Solid Waste Management in Rapidly Urbanizing Areas: A Case Study of Rudrapur City, India

Urban solid waste management is a crucial challenge, involving treatment, recycling, and energy conversion for environmental and public health protection. This research explores the management of municipal solid waste in the city of Rudrapur, located in the Himalayan foothills, in the midst of rapid urbanization and industrial development. Rudrapur is confronted with an increasing waste production as a consequence of its expanding population. The study examines waste distribution, evaluates current practices, and proposes effective waste management solutions for local governance. Using secondary data, interviews, and fieldwork, the study assesses waste generation, collection, transportation, processing, and disposal. The waste, comprising biodegradables, recyclables, and non-recyclables, presents challenges like inadequate equipment, unregulated dumping, and inefficiencies. Composite scores reveal disparities in waste management among city wards, uncovering infrastructure and practice gaps. Recommendations include source segregation, expanded composting, improved waste processing, and public awareness. Modern techniques like Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing can enhance waste management strategies. The study underscores the urgency of addressing improper waste disposal's environmental and health impacts. By tackling deficiencies and embracing innovation, Rudrapur can transition to a sustainable solid waste management system, fostering a cleaner and healthier urban environment.

Developing an extended producer responsibility system for solid waste management in Jordan using multi-criteria decision-making approach.

To move from a traditional end of pipe approach into a more sustainable solid waste management system, the Jordanian Government has recently passed a set of new regulations The National Solid Waste Management Strategy has put a road map to encourage circular economy practices. One of the considered policy instruments is the adoption of the extended producer responsibility (EPR). The current study aimed to adopt a multi-criteria decision-making method to select the most convenient EPR structure within the Jordanian context. The study used analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy AHP (FAHP) techniques to select the suitable type of producer responsibility organization (PRO) structure. A four-level hierarchy model was constructed with 4 criteria, 10 sub-criteria and 3 PRO alternatives. The analysis revealed that the legal and administrative criteria is the most important one (0.47) followed by environmental criteria (0.22), whereas the least important ones were socio-economic (0.17) and technical criteria (0.13). The most preferable PRO alternative was found to be PRO with profit. There were slight differences between all weight values under AHP and FAHP. Despite the availability of several laws, there is a need to develop the legal and administrative framework to enable the adoption of EPR in Jordan. Research should be the first step in the process of EPR system design. None of the previous studies conducted used the AHP and FAHP in assessing and selecting the EPR systems.

An assessment of the current situation and recommendation of management scenarios for municipal solid waste management in Ho Chi Minh city

Ho Chi Minh city (HCMC) is currently facing a critical problem of the uncontrollable municipal solid waste (MSW). The most common waste disposal practice in the city is landfilling, but this is not a sustainable solution. From 2010 to 2022, the amount of waste generated has increased annually, from 6,000 tons/day to 9,200 tons/day, with an average growth rate of 6-8% per year. This study calculated the average emission factor of various districts in the city such as districts 1, 3, etc. at 0.83 kg/capita/day and district Binh Chanh, Cu Chi, etc. at 0.73 kg/capita/day and forecasted that the amount of waste will reach approximately 16,100 tons/day by 2050. Currently, 80-90% of collected MSW is landfilled, while only 10% is recycled. Composting and energy recovery practices are rarely used. This paper reviewed the current solid waste practice in HCMC and proposed four management scenarios to develop a sustainable solid waste management system. The first scenario is landfilling, which involves non-segregated waste disposal at the source. The second scenario is recycling, which involves segregating waste at the source for recycling, reuse, and waste reduction. The third scenario is composting, which requires using a mechanical-biological treatment plant for sorting, composting, and producing fuel from waste. The fourth scenario is waste-to-energy, which uses a waste incineration plant to generate energy from waste.

Assessing the Measurement Model for Source-Separating Waste for Recycling under a Proposed Smart Waste Management Scheme in Shah Alam, Malaysia

Due to rapid urbanization, solid waste management (SWM) is a major challenge in Malaysia, hence the need to sustainably manage it. Compared with other states, Selangor produces the highest volume of domestic waste. Most of the state’s waste is generated in Shah Alam City. This condition is expected to worsen because the population of Shah Alam is projected to rise by 2.5% from 2018 to 2035. This situation will increase the demand for resources, production, and consumption, increasing the volume of waste generated in Shah Alam. Hence, the pressing necessity to advance from the current traditional waste management practices to a more sustainable SWM system has been identified as a key target in Shah Alam’s 2025–2030 plans. The Smart Waste Management System (SWMS) has been identified as a novel approach to dealing with the absence of route optimization, real-time information exchange, and the consequent increase in waste management costs. All of these elements have characterized the current traditional households’ SWM. However, because this method is novel, there is a dearth of knowledge on the appropriate measurement model for evaluating the dimension of households’ intention to recycle waste through source separation as well as measuring the determinants of such a pro-environmental intention under the new SWMS. Thus, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was carried out to verify the factorial structure of the variables, relying on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) based on the structural dimensions identified in prior exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The study found support for the use of TPB as a relevant framework for modeling the intention for source separation and its determinants under SWMS.

Public-Private Sectors Participation and Governance of Municipal Waste Managers in Conakry, Republic of Guinea

Several studies have examined the effects of persistent increase in rural-urban drift which has graciously increase the level of waste management governance to national and local authorities as well as practitioners which has been saddled with the responsibilities of managing the environmental sanitation via waste managers. Inability of the central government to solve the issues surrounding waste that causes hazard in the cities has brought about private sectors involvement in the management of waste in the country which the central government has failed in the practices and sustainability of effective waste management due to lack of funding. Not all regions were successful in resolving the solid waste issue because local governments did not adopt strong governance. Yet, adequate attention has not been given to collaborative efforts between government and private sector to manage municipal wastage at all levels of government where the general economic growth has become one of the major challenges confronting management of solid waste in Conakry. This study adopted a descriptive survey research. The data were gathered through existing literature. Precisely, the paper discusses the practices of good governance in respect to public-private sections participation has continued to take various techniques to manage the waste generated across and to assess the performance of these agencies on pollution, hazard, and dumpsters in the study area. It is therefore recommended that as the government should work harder to encourage households to make early payments of services to the private providers while also educating the public about safe garbage disposal. The paper concluded that the mandate of Public-Private Sectors Participation has largely been achieved to ensure effectiveness in sustainable solid waste management system in the Republic of Guinea, Conakry precisely.

Evaluation of solid biomedical waste management practices in six health facilities in southern Benin

Introduction: Health care generates biomedical waste that present risks to humans and the environment if poorly managed. The objective of this study was to assess the management practices of solid biomedical waste in southern Benin. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in six health facilities. The study included 12 administrative agents selected by reasoned choice and 431 health care agents selected by convenience. The data were collected by questionnaire, interview, and observation. They concerned variables related to the production, the practice of managing, knowledge of the impact of solid biomedical waste on the environment and health, training and protection of personnel. Data analysis was done with R 4.5.0 software. Quantitative variables were described by median and interquartile range. Proportions were compared with the chi-square test or that of Fisher at the threshold of 0.05. Results: The health facilities did not have solid biomedical waste management database. Sorting was not systematic in 59.5 %. Final storage locations did not meet standards. Almost one in four health workers (24.4 %) were injured by biomedical waste. Overall, 45.8 % of the staff had been trained at least once on biomedical waste management. 61 % of the staff surveyed were vaccinated, hepatitis B (41.3 %), tetanus (32.9 %). Conclusion: In view of the results, it is necessary to ensure the on ongoing awareness and training of medical staff in the sorting and packaging of biomedical waste and to set up an efficient and sustainable solid biomedical waste management system with effective monitoring mechanisms.

Studi Timbulan, Komposisi dan Karakteristik Sampah Institusi di UPN Veteran Yogyakarta

UPN “Veteran” Yogyakarta does not apply a sustainable solid waste management system. Waste is only carried out by storing, collecting, and transporting to TPA Piyungan. The purpose of this study was to determine the generation, composition and characteristics of waste and to provide recommendations for sustainable waste management strategies on the UPNVY campus. The method of measuring waste generation and composition refers to SNI 19-3964-1994. Waste characteristics were analyzed by proximate test and ultimate test. The results of the survey and measurements showed that the waste generation at UPNVY was 135.45 kg/day covering Campus I Condong catur at 96.66 kg/day and Campus II Babarsari at 37.79 kg/day. The composition of waste consists of organic waste (24.840%), paper (23.499%), soft plastic (7.450%), hard plastic (5.673%), plastic bag (9.129%), metal (1.294%), glass (1.392%), hazardous waste (0.512%), other waste (9.289%), and residue (16.922%). The proximate test showed that the highest moisture content was in food waste, the highest volatile content and calorific value were found in hard plastic. Meanwhile, the lowest ash content in soft plastic and the lowest fixed Carbon content was owned by plastic bag. For the ultimate test, plastic waste has the highest C and H content. The recommended sustainable waste management strategies are waste reduction and sortation; provision of sorted trash cans, processing of organic waste into compost; and construction of 3R TPS.

Knowledge, behavior, and drivers of residents’ willingness to pay for a sustainable solid waste collection and management system in Mymensingh City, Bangladesh

Knowledge, behavior, and drivers of residents’ willingness to pay for a sustainable solid waste collection and management system in Mymensingh City, Bangladesh

SORTING, LOGISTICS AND SECONDARY USE OF SOLID HOUSEHOLD WASTE OF UKRAINE

The article is devoted to the study of the issues of efficient management of solid household waste (SHW) in Ukraine, which provides the improvement of its sorting and logistics. The composition of solid household waste in the context of world countries by the level of development, geographical principle in comparison with Ukraine was studied. It is substantiated that despite the differences in the composition of waste in our and European countries, its calorific value is approximately the same, which determines the possibility of energy use. The current state of solid household waste sorting in Ukraine is analyzed, it is determined that today it is mainly sorted into mixed (wet) and dry, there is a separate sorting of some types of waste: glass, paper, metal, plastic. A logical scheme of the existing separate sorting and management of household waste in Ukraine was built, which showed the differences from the best European practices in this field. It is proposed to improve the solid household waste sorting system through the introduction of eight types of containers, which will allow to obtain more homogeneous flows of standard waste and facilitate its further useful use. It is proposed to introduce the compensation payments for sorted waste. The logistics of solid household waste has been improved through proposals for the introduction of vacuum sorting stations for waste transportation. Their advantages are environmental friendliness, automation that minimizes the human factor, high speed of transportation. The management of household and similar waste in Ukraine has been studied and it has been determined that the main direction of its further use is disposal in specially equipped landfills (more than 40%), and energy use by incineration does not reach 2%. The characteristics of waste recycling in the countries of the world are given, which has shown significant achievements in the fuller use of waste potential as a valuable secondary raw material. The ecological, energy, social and economic effects of the introduction of a sustainable solid waste management system in Ukraine are substantiated.

Municipal solid waste generation and its compositional assessment for efficient and sustainable infrastructure planning in an intermediate city of Pakistan

ABSTRACT It is imperative to design and operate sustainable solid waste management (SWM) systems in cities based on the results of waste amount and characterization study (WACS). In this work, WACS was conducted and results were used to design an SWM system for an intermediate city of Pakistan. The study revealed that about 110 tons of solid waste per day is generated with a per capita rate of 0.337 kg/day. Around 51.2% of mixed municipal solid waste (MSW) is organic in nature and its non-scientific disposal is resulting in higher greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It was also found that more than 80% of valuables are taken away by the informal sector during the transfer of MSW from the generation source to the dumping site. Ultimate analyses showed that the moisture content (MC) and carbon to nitrogen (C:N) ratio were 64.23% and 51.14%, respectively. Proximate analysis revealed that moisture and calorific values were 57 % and 3505 BTU/lb., respectively. Based on these results, a material sorting facility (MSF) was proposed, with an estimated investment cost of US $3.64 million. However, the efficiency of the existing collection system is limited to 32 % only. In order to improve the collection efficiency (>90 %), an additional investment of US $1.638 million was estimated with an operations and maintenance (O&M) cost of US $19.25 per ton. Existing non-scientific MSW disposal practices contribute 32,079.61 CO2e tons/year of GHG emissions. The proposed MSF followed by composting is estimated to reduce GHG emissions by 38% to 19,722.38 CO2e tons/year.

Sustainable multi-trip periodic redesign-routing model for municipal solid waste collection network: the case study of Tehran.

Daily transportation of wastes due to its environmental, financial, and social aspects has been considered a challenging issue in developing countries' municipal solid waste management systems. The location of transfer stations as intermediate nodes in municipal solid waste management network affects optimal collection frequency. A sustainable multi-period and multi-trip vehicle routing problem integrated with relocation models was developed to redesign the intermediate transfer stations and find optimal vehicle routes and the best collection frequency for each municipal solid waste generation point. Regarding the social aspects of a sustainable solid waste management system, an extended social life cycle assessment methodology for redesign and routing operations was developed based on the UNEP guidelines. The social life cycle assessment methodology evaluated the probable social effects of the system throughout the entire life cycle using an iterative policy. In this study, selected impact subcategories and inventory indicators for the routing and redesign system were utilized to quantify the system social score. Besides, the developed model was solved for different problem instances. The results indicated that system social score was affected by collection frequencies decisions, redesign policy, and the number of demand nodes. Furthermore, the model was applied to a real-world case study resulting in a total cost reduction of 66% that occurred by a 86% reduction in weekly traveled distance and a 12% decrease in routing social score.

The urban household solid waste generating factors and composition study—A case study: Irbid City – Jordan

The household solid waste (HSW) constitutes a main segment of municipal solid waste (MSW). Therefore, effective management of HSW has become an imperative issue to solve the problems caused by massive generation of HSW, the protection and sustainability of the environment, as well as the protection of public health in Jordan. The present study was conducted to assess the amount and components of urban HSW generated and to determine the influencing factors in the urban areas of Irbid city, Jordan. The study was conducted on 383 households. The driving forces behind Irbid household waste generation were analyzed using a multiple linear regression model. The outcomes of this study indicated that the average waste produced by households was 0.90 kg/cap/day. Also, the data analysis displayed that organic waste represents more than half of the total composition of waste 58.56% followed by plastic 14.59%, paper and paper products 9.61%, glass 7.49%, metal 4.19%, rubber and leather, others, and textile had the lowest concentrations, being less than 2% wt. The multiple linear regression outcomes displayed that the value of R2 was found to be 0.614 for the household waste generation per capita. Also, according to Pearson's coefficient and Point-Biserial correlation values, a positive correlation was found between HSW generation and gender of household head r = 0.256, household size r = 0.629, and monthly household income r = 0.529, while a negative correlation was found between household waste generation and age of the household head r = -0.329, and education level of the household head r = -0.303.The study findings serve to provide crucial inputs to the policymakers and planners concerned with environmental issues in making their decisions toward a more effective and sustainable solid waste management (SWM) system, which helps to protect the environment and the maintain natural resources.

Developing a Sustainable Solid Waste Management System Using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) Method at Pondok Institutions in Kelantan

This study focuses on developing a sustainable solid waste management system at Pondok institution using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. Besides that, the types of solid waste generated were determined. Three alternatives were underlined, which are composting, recycling, and both composting and recycling. This research utilised the convenience sampling method, where a constructive questionnaire was used as a research instrument. An online questionnaire with detailed descriptions was distributed to two (2) Pondok institutions in Kelantan. After that, empirical research using the AHP method was carried out to find the priority weights of alternatives to develop a sustainable solid waste management system in Pondok institution. There are two significant findings in this research. This research revealed the types of solid waste generated by Pondok institutions that are food waste/farm waste, plastics, papers, metal and aluminium tin, and glass. The highest types of solid waste generated are organic waste, and the least is glass. Besides that, this research discovered the most appropriate sustainable solid waste management system alternative to be implemented in Pondok institutions, which is composting and recycling. Developing a sustainable solid waste management system will reduce excessive solid waste generation, reduce space for dumping sites, and overcome environmental problems.

GIS and Multicriteria Decision Analysis for Landfill Site Selection in Edirne Province, Turkey

A sustainable solid waste management system planning is a complex and interdisciplinary subject, which requires considering technical, environmental, economic, and social factors. Landfills play an essential role in solid waste management strategies, and landfilling is an extensively accepted preference for the clearance of solid waste worldwide. Site selection of landfill facilities can be a considerable problem as all infrastructural projects can deteriorate the ecology of the site on which they are developed because of changing land uses, loss of habitats, and displacement of fauna. These effects are mainly specific for location and need to be evaluated on every example. Landfill site selection is related to certain factors and limitations defined by natural and artificial thresholds and/or legislation. Legal provisions may vary according to the country's policy and even to the provincial policies. In addition to these features of study zones or sites, landfill site selection methods may have different criteria and sub-criteria in identifying parameters. This paper aims to identify landfill site(s) multicriteria decision analysis depending on Edirne's environmentally sensitive areas by using the Geographic Information System (GIS) technique. Data of land use, geologic features, protected areas, natural and archeological sites, transportation network, hydrological data, soil suitability for agricultural activities, and land capability classes which have been acquired from the relevant public authorities were used to proposed model. Regional factors were identified and assessed according to the risk of contamination for environmental components such as natural resources, sensitive ecosystems, and unique habitats. The chosen criteria were graded in this context, and alternative landfill sites were proposed by applying GIS-based analysis. According to the analysis, the northern subprovince of the study area, Lalapasa, has the most appropriate landfill sites.

Site suitability analysis for decentralized sustainable solid waste management system for Coimbatore city using GIS.

The effective solid waste management in a developing country like India has become an essential concern of the society. Municipality and corporation have framed many policies and municipal solid waste rules for a sustainable solid waste management, but the increase in population and urbanization leads to many challenges in implementing an effective system. Disposal of waste is an important action in solid waste management but due to many flaws in system the centralized disposal of waste is not effective. In this research the site selection for decentralized processing unit zone wise is done using GIS and weighted overlay analysis. The weighted overlay analysis is done by using thematic layers like land use land cover, geomorphology, geology, soil, lineaments, ground water depth, distance from water bodies, distance from railway track, drainage density, road density ,distance from roads are used as inventory maps to arrive the suitable area to carry out decentralized solid waste management. The results revealed the suitable area in sqkm under five classifications as highly suitable, high to moderately suitable, moderately suitable, poorly suitable and not suitable.
 Keywords: site suitability, south zone, Coimbatore decentralized waste management, weighted overlay analysis.

Rethinking policies and possibilities of sustainable solid waste management system of Dhaka City

Abstract Issues Solid waste management is one of the biggest concerns in Bangladesh, particularly in Dhaka city at present. This paper aims to find the gaps and challenges in solid waste management policies and implementations and thus, gives an insight towards sustainable solid waste management system in the country. Description of the Problem Improper solid waste management is adversely impacting environmental protection, public health and the control of carbon emissions in Bangladesh. As a result solid waste has become a major area of public policy with growing concern. Lessons Bangladesh has been experiencing changes in solid waste management since 1983 with the introduction of Dhaka City Corporation Ordinance and later the promulgation of National 3R Policy in 2010. With few exceptions, the overall waste management system cannot be termed as an efficient sequential process of waste minimization, recycling, and disposal based on global standards. Many initiatives are being implemented as part of independent projects by the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and not always supported by policies. Though the establishment of several secondary transfer stations (STSs) has improved the environmental conditions and cleanliness of the cities, the waste segregation and recycling practices in the pathways from households to landfill do not adhere to the 3R Policy. Both the recyclable and non-recyclable waste are collected and dumped all together at different levels of waste management, i.e. collection from households, dumping at STSs, and later in the landfill without any formal procedures of sorting and recycling. Lack of coordination between implementing agencies is another problem. Conclusions Absence of sustainable solid waste management policy and proper execution agency are the main obstacles towards a proper waste management system. This problem is huge and should be addressed immediately to protect the environment and ensure better health of the city population. Key messages Even though the formation of STSs is one of the significant changes in the system nowadays, it is not evaluated or monitored under any specific policy or ordinance. In order to implement the existing policies, adequate funding and monitoring bodies should be introduced to the waste management sector.