Assessment of Integrated Solid Waste Management Systems in Kathmandu Metropolitan City

One of the main challenges in developing countries like Nepal is inefficient management of municipal solid waste. Provision of fundamental services for municipal solid waste management is a major concern in urban areas of Nepal, especially in the capital Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC). The formal waste management system of KMC is limited to collection and disposal in landfill site or open dumping. Intermediate steps are not opted formally for resource recovery or treatment of the waste. In view of the challenges encountered, the Asian Development Bank has recommended adopting integrated solid waste management. The study aims at developing and accessing scenarios for integrated solid waste management that is pertinent to the case of KMC. The specific objectives include defining different integrated solid waste management systems and determining their energy recovery and material recovery efficiencies. The first waste management system is material recovery-based system. The second waste management system is energy and material recovery-based system. Additionally, a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis of the two proposed waste management systems was carried out to recommend the more appropriate system, in the context of KMC. Results of the study depicted that material recovery efficiency of the second system is lower than the first system, however, the electrical energy efficiency is especially prominent for second system. Based on the results of material and energy recovery efficiency calculations and the outcomes of the SWOT analysis, adoption of the material and energy recovery based waste management system is found to be instrumental for efficient management of municipal solid waste in the context of KMC. In view of the negative impacts imposed by the current improper municipal solid waste management in KMC, implementation of the material and energy recovery based integrated solid waste management system will be beneficial in not only effectively managing the municipal solid waste but also provide resources by recovering material and energy from the waste generated. However, if following the waste hierarchy, the material recovery based system would be preferable. In the short term, the energy and material recovery-based system may be considered. But risks of technological lock-in effects in the long term can be detrimental in realizing and taking advantage of the material recovery potentials.