Sustainable municipal solid waste management (MSWM) in the smart cities in Indian context

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vikas Thakur ◽  
Dibya Jyoti Parida ◽  
Vivek Raj

PurposeSmart cities in India are going to be a reality very soon by turning challenges into opportunities for the society. However, due to rapid increase in population burden, fast urbanization and growing demand of advanced services in the smart cities, the quantity of per capita municipal solid waste (MSW) has escalated. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has further challenged the municipal solid waste management (MSWM) system with the increasing amount of infectious wastes coming from households (HHs), quarantine centers, healthcare facilities, vaccination centers, etc. Therefore, the present study attempts to explore and analyze the various dimensions of sustainable MSWM system in the smart cities.Design/methodology/approachThe study identifies 13 factors of sustainable MSWM system from the literature, field surveys and stakeholders' opinions. Thereafter, stakeholders' opinions are collected and analyzed using total interpretive structural modeling (TISM) approach to explore the interrelationships among the factors of sustainable MSWM system. These relationships are further validated through the empirical investigation of the real-life case study of Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC), Odisha, India.FindingsThe TISM approach places all 13 factors into six levels in the hierarchical digraph depending upon the inputs received from the various stakeholders on their interrelationships. Study also validates the proposed TISM model by collecting the data of RMC, Odisha, on the development of MSWM system over the period of 2015–2021.Practical implicationsThe study also highlights various implications for the other developing cities and stakeholders to set up the roadmap for developing the sustainable MSWM system. Study defines “IT platform” and “awareness among citizens” as the base of the sustainable MSWM system in any smart city.Originality/valueThe present study is the first of its kind to explore the interrelationships among the factors of sustainable MSWM system by using TISM approach. Moreover, the proposed TISM framework is further validated through the empirical journey of one of the smart cities in India.

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 1075-1092
Author(s):  
Bupe Getrude Mwanza ◽  
Charles Mbohwa ◽  
Arnesh Telukdarie

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the present municipal solid wastes (MSWs) management system, from an engineering management (EM) perspective, for the City of Kitwe while proposing a levers-driven sustainable municipal solid waste management (MSWM) model focussing on improving waste management (WM). Design/methodology/approach The research work involves four stages. First, a comprehensive review of literature is conducted on MSWM. Second, structured interviews are conducted with key experts in solid waste management in the City of Kitwe in order to enhance the knowledge inputs. Third, direct observations and an interview with a WM driver are conducted in order to understand; the collection, disposal and treatment options for MSWs. Lastly, a sustainable model for managing MSWs is proposed Findings The research findings indicate that the existing MSW system for the city is highly unsustainable and lacks EM methodologies. There are still a number of challenges in the management of MSWs which include: lack of proper collection and storage of MSWs; lack of an engineered landfill; lack of waste recovery and treatment systems; and lack of public education aimed at reducing and separating MSWs. Practical implications A correct and detailed database for waste generation, collection, treatment and disposal is needed for the City of Kitwe. The system is necessary for WM resources allocation as well as for planning sustainable WM projects. The proposed model has been developed based on the actual observations, data collection and analysis. Originality/value The research identifies a gap in the management of MSWs for the City of Kitwe. This work is original as no similar MSW model has been proposed globally and specific for a developing economy such as Africa.


2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Chidozie Nnaji

Purpose – This paper examined the current status of municipal solid waste management across Nigeria. The core aspects covered are generation, characterization, collection, scavenging, open dumping, disposal and environmental implications of poor solid waste management. The purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive overview of the current state of municipal solid waste management in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach – This study was executed by a combination of an extensive literature search and field study. Solid waste generation rates for 31 Nigerian cities were obtained from literature. In addition, characteristics of municipal solid waste from 26 Nigerian cities were also obtained from literature. Other aspects such as characterization of solid waste obtained from final dumpsite and heavy metals accumulation in solid waste dumpsites were undertaken first hand. Findings – Solid waste generation rate was found to vary from 0.13 kg/capita/day in Ogbomosho to 0.71 kg/capita/day in Ado-Ekiti. Factors affecting solid waste generation rates were identified. Typically, food waste was found to constitute close to 50 percent of overall municipal solid waste in Nigerian cities. This study shows that the rate of generation of plastics, water proof materials and diapers has assumed an upward trend. Due to the dysfunctional state of many municipal waste management authorities, many cities have been overrun by open dumps. For instance, more than 50 percent of residents of Maiduguri in northern Nigeria and Ughelli in southern Nigeria dispose of their waste in open dumps. Indiscriminate disposal of waste has also resulted in the preponderance of toxic heavy metals in agricultural soils and consequent bioaccumulation in plants as well as groundwater contamination. Research limitations/implications – The main limitation of this research is municipal waste management authorities do not have relevant data. Hence, there was heavy reliance on published materials. The status of waste management in Nigeria is very deplorable and therefore poses serious threats to public and environmental health. There is urgent need for both government and individuals to adopt holistic and sustainable waste management strategies in order to safeguard public/environmental health. Practical implications – Findings from this paper can form a veritable resource for the formulation and implementation of sustainable municipal solid waste management framework and strategies in Nigeria. Originality/value – While most studies on municipal solid waste management in Nigeria are focussed on selected cities of interest, this particular study cuts across most cities of Nigeria in order to present a broader and holistic view of municipal solid waste management in Nigeria. The paper has also unraveled core municipal solid waste management challenges facing Nigerian cities.


2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 909-928 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hacer Ak ◽  
Washington Braida

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess a comprehensive model that computes a single score in order to evaluate the sustainability of the municipal solid waste management (MSWM) system of a given city. The model was applied to calculate the sustainability index for the MSWM of Istanbul, Turkey as a case study. Design/methodology/approach – Different sustainability indicators (including environmental, economical, and social parameters) along with exergy analysis were integrated to utilize an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) under a life cycle perspective. Findings – The Istanbul case study helped to verify that AHP is an effective and efficient decision-making tool. According to the analysis, the current MSWM system of Istanbul is sustainable, and the sustainability can be improved only by changing the amounts to be treated by the current system without any new technological investments. Research limitations/implications – The Municipal Solid Waste Management Sustainability Index (MSWMSI) in this study allowed to integrate large amount of information on interrelated parameters and the sustainability indicators in the whole life cycle into one value that is useful for a general or a comparative judgment and helpful in MSWM decision making. Originality/value – The fact that the weighting assigned to each component in the model is dependent on the decision makers’ evaluations enables the model to be tailored to any city of concern. The model allows the user to readily determine the relative contribution of each criterion or sub-criterion to the final MSWM selection. It is convenient to use and the computations can be run utilizing available specialized software as well as computing by hand.


2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 493-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Sefouhi ◽  
Mehdi Kalla ◽  
Lylia Bahmed

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide suitable solutions to the management system of the municipal solid waste in an Algerian city. Design/methodology/approach – The adopted approach focussed on the evaluation of different methods concerning the Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM), by analyzing methods of solid waste management hierarchy which constitutes appropriate tools in the MSWM. Findings – One pillar of sustainable solid waste management is strategic planning, and links to guidance are provided. Another pillar is cost analysis of solid waste options, and links to useful analytical tools are also provided. Research limitations/implications – This research has limitations that the paper plans to study in perspective: assessment of citizen perception of waste and its practical implications in the management of municipal solid waste as well as involvements of other agents or structures. Practical implications – Results investigations conducted in this study allows to the municipality for solving city problems of MSW with priority to the environmental and public health protection. Originality/value – The interest is carried, here, with the success of the different methods concerning the solid waste management hierarchy, which conditions mainly the success of the improvement of the waste management system.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (6) ◽  
pp. 643-649
Author(s):  
Senthilkumar G

India is moving towards development of smart cities which requires a marked improvement in Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) to provide a clean and aesthetically appealing environment specifically in urban agglomerations. Presently India is producing around 65 million tones of municipal solid waste annually and 80% of which is dumped simply on the open ground. Even after the Solid waste management rules 2016 comes into effect there is no marked improvement in the waste management. The use of technologies like Internet of Things (IoT) and adopting a policy of smart waste – smart resources it is possible to create more robust Sustainable solid waste management systems.  IoT is a concept that connects numerous and various physical objects to the internet with the help of sensors and other wireless technologies, conceptually the process of connecting different types of devices extracting the data from them to perform an action in the context of data read. With Swatch Bharath, Clean India mission and the development of Smart cities projects the government of India is offering and encouraging a phenomenal change in waste management policies and action plans with an objective to make the waste management technically feasible, environmentally and financially sustainable. In the present study an assessment of existing waste management scenario was carried out for the semi urban location, Annamalai Nagar Special town Panchayat of Cuddalore District in Tamilnadu state.  IoT based waste management has been proposed, the ill effects of the present waste management practices and likely benefits of the application of technology enhanced IoT based waste management have been compared for the real time waste management system.


2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 359-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioan Ianos ◽  
Daniela Zamfir ◽  
Valentina Stoica ◽  
Loreta Cercleux ◽  
Andrei Schvab ◽  
...  

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