Assessment of applicability index for better management of municipal solid waste: a case study of Dhanbad, India

Selection of suitable municipal solid waste management (MSWM) options is one of the major challenges in urban areas of the developing countries. Success of MSWM requires accurate data of generation rate, composition and physico-chemical characteristics of solid wastes. Improper handling of solid waste can have significant environmental and aesthetical impacts. The present study proposes a new method (applicability index - P_ik values) for identifying the most appropriate disposal option with the help of applicability values of Composting-C_P, Incineration-I_P and Landfill-L_P for individual components of MSW based on the results of the physico-chemical analysis of the collected representative solid waste samples from the study area, Dhanbad, India. The mean values of moisture content, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, volatile organic carbon, fixed carbon, ash content, density and calorific values (CV) of individual components were used as input values in this process. Based on the proposed applicability index (P_ik), the highest P_ik values were obtained for incineration (I_P) for plastics, polythene, paper, coconut shell, wood, cardboard, textile, thermocol (polystyrene), rubber, sugarcane bagasse, cow dung and leather wastes (I_P > C_P > L_P) due to high CV of these solid waste components; the highest P_ik values were obtained for composting (C_P) of kitchen waste (C_P > I_P > L_P); and the highest P_ik values for inert wastes were obtained for landfill option (L_P > I_P > C_P). The highest P_ik value for a particular waste for a specific treatment option signifies that the waste is suitable for treatment/disposal using that option.