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Municipal solid waste generation, composition, and management: the global scenario

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  • Kapil Dev Sharma
  • Siddharth Jain

Abstract

Purpose - Due to the increasing population and prosperity, the generation rate of municipal solid waste (MSW) has increased significantly, resulting in serious problems on public health and the environment. Every single person in the world is affected by the municipal solid waste management (MSWM) issue. MSWM is reaching a critical level in almost all areas of the world and seeking the development of MSW strategies for a sustainable environment. This paper aims to present the existing global status of MSW generation, composition, management and related problems. Design/methodology/approach - A total of 59 developed and developing countries have been grouped based on their gross national income to compare the status of various MSWM technologies among them. A total of 19 selection criteria have been discussed to select appropriate MSWM technology(s) for a city/town, which affects their applicability, operational suitability and performance. All risks and challenges arising during the life cycle of the waste to energy (WtE) project have also been discussed. This paper also gives a comparative overview of different globally accepted MSWM technologies and the present market growth of all WtE technologies. Findings - It was found that most developed countries have effectively implemented the solid waste management (SWM) hierarchy and are now focusing heavily on reducing, reusing and recycling of MSW. On the other hand, SWM has become very serious in low-income and low-middle-income countries because most of the MSW openly dumps and most countries are dependent on inadequate waste infrastructure and the informal sector. There are also some other major challenges related to effective waste policies, availability of funds, appropriate technology selection and adequacy of trained people. This study clears the picture of MSW generation, composition, management strategies and policies at the worldwide context. This manuscript could be valuable for all nations around the world where effective MSWM has not yet been implemented. Originality/value - This study clears the picture of solid waste generation, composition, management strategies and policies at the worldwide context. This manuscript could be valuable for all nations around the world where effective MSWM has not yet been implemented. In this study, no data was generated. All supporting data were obtained from previously published papers in journals, the outcomes of the international conferences and published reports by government organizations.

Suggested Citation

  • Kapil Dev Sharma & Siddharth Jain, 2020. "Municipal solid waste generation, composition, and management: the global scenario," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 16(6), pages 917-948, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:eme:srjpps:srj-06-2019-0210
    DOI: 10.1108/SRJ-06-2019-0210
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Emrah Kocak & Hayriye Hilal Baglitas, 2022. "The path to sustainable municipal solid waste management: Do human development, energy efficiency, and income inequality matter?," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(6), pages 1947-1962, December.
    2. Ligorio, Lorenzo & Venturelli, Andrea & Caputo, Fabio, 2022. "Tracing the boundaries between sustainable cities and cities for sustainable development. An LDA analysis of management studies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    3. Shardul R. Narde & Neelancherry Remya, 2022. "Biochar production from agricultural biomass through microwave-assisted pyrolysis: predictive modelling and experimental validation of biochar yield," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(9), pages 11089-11102, September.
    4. Kumar, Aman & Singh, Ekta & Mishra, Rahul & Lo, Shang Lien & Kumar, Sunil, 2023. "Global trends in municipal solid waste treatment technologies through the lens of sustainable energy development opportunity," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 275(C).
    5. Abdul-Wahab Tahiru & Samuel Jerry Cobbina & Wilhemina Asare, 2024. "A Circular Economy Approach to Addressing Waste Management Challenges in Tamale’s Waste Management System," World, MDPI, vol. 5(3), pages 1-24, August.
    6. Kawther Saeedi & Anna Visvizi & Dimah Alahmadi & Amal Babour, 2023. "Smart Cities and Households’ Recyclable Waste Management: The Case of Jeddah," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-23, April.
    7. Komeil Kohansal & Kamaldeep Sharma & Saqib Sohail Toor & Eliana Lozano Sanchez & Joscha Zimmermann & Lasse Aistrup Rosendahl & Thomas Helmer Pedersen, 2021. "Bio-Crude Production Improvement during Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Biopulp by Simultaneous Application of Alkali Catalysts and Aqueous Phase Recirculation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-21, July.
    8. Xiaotong Pan & Jian Tang & Heng Xia & Tianzheng Wang, 2023. "Online Combustion Status Recognition of Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Process Using DFC Based on Convolutional Multi-Layer Feature Fusion," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(23), pages 1-26, November.
    9. Igor Donskoy, 2023. "Particle Agglomeration of Biomass and Plastic Waste during Their Thermochemical Fixed-Bed Conversion," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-25, June.
    10. Lynda Andeobu & Santoso Wibowo & Srimannarayana Grandhi, 2023. "Environmental and Health Consequences of E-Waste Dumping and Recycling Carried out by Selected Countries in Asia and Latin America," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-28, July.
    11. Ahmed Shaban & Fatma-Elzahraa Zaki & Islam H. Afefy & Giulio Di Gravio & Andrea Falegnami & Riccardo Patriarca, 2022. "An Optimization Model for the Design of a Sustainable Municipal Solid Waste Management System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-19, May.
    12. Katarzyna Śpiewak & Grzegorz Czerski & Karol Bijak, 2021. "The Effect of Temperature-Pressure Conditions on the RDF Gasification in the Atmosphere of Steam and Carbon Dioxide," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-15, November.
    13. Chi Ho Li & Tsz Ting Lee & Stephen Siu Yu Lau, 2023. "Enhancement of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Hong Kong through Innovative Solutions: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-15, February.
    14. Yoshinori Saitoh & Hiroshi Tago & Kimiyo Kumagai & Akihiro Iijima, 2022. "A Closer Look at Effective Intervention Methods to Reduce Household Solid Waste Generation in Japan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-19, November.
    15. Lynda Andeobu & Santoso Wibowo & Srimannarayana Grandhi, 2021. "A Systematic Review of E-Waste Generation and Environmental Management of Asia Pacific Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-18, August.
    16. Sabah Mariyam & Logan Cochrane & Shifa Zuhara & Gordon McKay, 2022. "Waste Management in Qatar: A Systematic Literature Review and Recommendations for System Strengthening," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-23, July.
    17. Ferdoush, Md. Ruhul & Aziz, Ridwan Al & Karmaker, Chitra Lekha & Debnath, Binoy & Limon, Mohammad Hossain & Bari, A.B.M. Mainul, 2024. "Unraveling the challenges of waste-to-energy transition in emerging economies: Implications for sustainability," Innovation and Green Development, Elsevier, vol. 3(2).

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