Solid waste management, A case study of Pune City

Municipal solid waste management (MSWM) is one of the major environmental problems of Indian cities. Improper management of municipal solid waste (MSW) causes hazards to inhabitants as well as to the environment. Thus MSWM continues to be a major challenge for local governments in both urban and rural areas across the world. The current practice of collecting, processing and disposing of municipal solid wastes is considered to be least efficient in the developing countries. The typical problems are lack of awareness, absence of at point segregation, low collection coverage and irregular collection services, crude open dumping and burning. From various studies it is found that about 90% of MSW is disposed of irrationally in open dumps and landfills, creating problems to public health and the environment. In the present study, an attempt has been made to provide a comprehensive review of the characteristics, generation, collection and transportation, disposal and treatment technologies of MSW practiced in India through a case study of Pune City. Studies reveal that large quantity (1000-2000 mt/day) of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is generated in the city ie. Pune Municipal Corporation which creates lots of pressure on the central treatment facility. The major reason behind this is improper disposal and management. The paper gives information on public consultation approaches and particularly on the best practices for successful public participation and consultation on MSW projects