Evaluation of required contribution by residents and other entities for solid waste collection: a study in Kandy municipal area

Abstract

Introduction

Municipal solid waste (MSW) is a popular topic in many countries. Management of solid waste has become a broad subject in today’s world. Industrial development can be considered a major reason for the increase of solid waste generation in the form of polythene, plastics, and various durable disposals. Solid waste or municipal solid waste can be defined as materials generated from the result of daily human activities in places like households, public places and city streets, shops, offices and hospitals. It can be further defined as any unwanted material intentionally thrown away for disposal (Karunarathna, 2015). Accordingly the management of MSW is defined as the discipline associated with the control of generation, storage, collection, transport or transfer, processing and disposal of solid waste materials in a way that best addresses the range of public health, conservation, economic, aesthetic, engineering and other environmental considerations.

Techniques used to solve the MSW problem varies from country to country. Developed countries use advanced techniques such as recycling, reusing, etc. Underdeveloped and developing countries apply open dumping techniques. However, dumping cannot be considered an appropriate way to solve the MSW problem. During the last two decades, European Union legislation has put increasing pressure on member countries to achieve specified recycling targets for municipal household waste (Xiaoyun, 2015). Sri Lanka still has a very poor system of managing municipal solid waste (MSW). The most common method of MSW disposal still remains to be open dumping (Bandara, 2011).

According to the provisions of the Local Government Act, the Local Authorities (LAs) in Sri Lanka are responsible for the collection and disposal of waste generated by people within their territories. Necessary provisions have been made under sections 129, 130 and 131 of the Municipal Council Ordinance; sections 118, 119 and 120 of the Urban Council Ordinance; and sections 93 and 94 of the Pradeshiya Sabha Act. The National Environmental Act (NEA) of 1980 which was subsequently amended in 1988 provides the necessary legislative framework for environmental protection in the country. The National Strategy for Solid Waste Management (NSSWM) put out by the Ministry of Forestry and Environment in 2002 endorsing the need for integrated solid waste management provides overall guidance for the management of the country’s solid waste (Bandara, 2011). The Kandy municipal area, which is highly urbanized, generates huge amounts of solid waste. This area consists of 28.53km2 of land. According to a 2012 survey, there are102, 500 permanent residencies in the area and 400,000 people enter the city daily for their requirements. The main MSW dumping site is located at Gohagoda.