Waste Management—A Case Study in Nepal
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Suryavinayak and other municipalities in Kathmandu valley), as the construction of
the second landfill site at Banchare dada has delayed by many years now. Rest of
the municipalities have open dumpsites, few of which (as in case of Hetauda) runs
as a controlled dumping which is an in-between dump site that is neither a sanitary
landfill nor an open dump, some activities like covering the dumped waste with soil
is practised.
Compared with municipalities in three different ecological regions, only one Terai
municipality, i.e., Damak Municipality has a sanitary landfill site, but 62% of waste
is not segregated at household level. Another Terai Municipality, Hetauda, practises
controlled dumping where waste piles are merely covered with soil. Some level of
open burning of waste at the dumpsite was also observed during the survey. Mountain
municipalities do not have a designated land for dumping waste; hence, illegal open
dumping and waste burning is rampant. Even the recyclable items like plastic, paper,
and metals are burned, as there are no recycling mechanisms in place, not even, local
scrap shops. Out of six hill municipalities, only Kathmandu and Pokhara has sanitary
landfill site.
3
6 Opportunities in Waste Management
Amidst multiple challenges, there are also the opportunities to achieve sustainable
waste management through careful planning, developing and enforcing enabling policy environment, investing in Environmental Sound Technologies in waste treatment
and recovery, mobilizing financial resources, building the capacity of the institutions,
and encouraging public participation for a resource recovery-centric waste management practices. For these opportunities to materialize, few fundamentals, however,
needs to be in place:
(a) Improving waste management data
(b) Proactive policies and sound institution solutions
(c) Policy coordination
(d) Sectorial integration
(e) Financial solutions
(f) Inclusive waste management practices
• Informal sector inclusion
• Mainstreaming gender in waste management.
(g) Education, research, and capacity building
• Publication and campaigns
• Education
• Training and development
• Investment in research and technology development.
3 MoFAGA, Baseline Survey, Integrated Waste Management 2018.
195
Suryavinayak and other municipalities in Kathmandu valley), as the construction of
the second landfill site at Banchare dada has delayed by many years now. Rest of
the municipalities have open dumpsites, few of which (as in case of Hetauda) runs
as a controlled dumping which is an in-between dump site that is neither a sanitary
landfill nor an open dump, some activities like covering the dumped waste with soil
is practised.
Compared with municipalities in three different ecological regions, only one Terai
municipality, i.e., Damak Municipality has a sanitary landfill site, but 62% of waste
is not segregated at household level. Another Terai Municipality, Hetauda, practises
controlled dumping where waste piles are merely covered with soil. Some level of
open burning of waste at the dumpsite was also observed during the survey. Mountain
municipalities do not have a designated land for dumping waste; hence, illegal open
dumping and waste burning is rampant. Even the recyclable items like plastic, paper,
and metals are burned, as there are no recycling mechanisms in place, not even, local
scrap shops. Out of six hill municipalities, only Kathmandu and Pokhara has sanitary
landfill site.
3
6 Opportunities in Waste Management
Amidst multiple challenges, there are also the opportunities to achieve sustainable
waste management through careful planning, developing and enforcing enabling policy environment, investing in Environmental Sound Technologies in waste treatment
and recovery, mobilizing financial resources, building the capacity of the institutions,
and encouraging public participation for a resource recovery-centric waste management practices. For these opportunities to materialize, few fundamentals, however,
needs to be in place:
(a) Improving waste management data
(b) Proactive policies and sound institution solutions
(c) Policy coordination
(d) Sectorial integration
(e) Financial solutions
(f) Inclusive waste management practices
• Informal sector inclusion
• Mainstreaming gender in waste management.
(g) Education, research, and capacity building
• Publication and campaigns
• Education
• Training and development
• Investment in research and technology development.
3 MoFAGA, Baseline Survey, Integrated Waste Management 2018.