Solid waste management practices and challenges in Besisahar municipality, Nepal.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Public Health
• Urban Planning

Background:

• Inadequate waste management poses significant environmental and health risks.
• Besisahar municipality faces challenges in effectively managing its solid waste.
• Understanding waste composition and generation is crucial for developing sustainable solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a comprehensive assessment of the current waste management system in Besisahar municipality.
• To characterize the composition and estimate the generation rate of solid waste.
• To identify existing challenges and provide data-driven recommendations for policy formulation.

Main Methods:

• Data collection through interviews with municipal officials, stakeholders, waste workers, and residents.
• Random sampling of 230 households and various institutions (schools, offices, businesses, healthcare facilities).
• Field studies across municipal wards and at dump sites, including waste characterization and generation rate estimation.

Main Results:

• Solid waste generation estimated at 197.604 g/capita/day, totaling approximately 4.285 tons/day in urban areas and 16.13 tons/day for the municipality.
• Household waste composition is dominated by organic waste (68.03%), followed by paper (8.13%) and plastic (5.21%).
• Only 42.14% of solid waste is collected door-to-door; significant portions are mismanaged, dumped on riverbanks, or burned, causing environmental and health hazards.

Conclusions:

• Current waste disposal practices in Besisahar municipality lead to severe environmental pollution and health risks.
• Effective waste management policies are urgently needed to address the high volume of organic waste and improper disposal methods.
• The study provides essential data to guide Besisahar municipality and stakeholders in developing sustainable waste management strategies.