Case Study: Finding Better Solutions for  Municipal Solid Waste Management in a Semi Local Authority in Sri Lanka

Bandunee Champika Liyanage; Renuka Gurusinghe; Sunil Herat; Masafumi Tateda

doi:10.4236/ojce.2015.51007

Home > Journals > Engineering > OJCE

Open Journal of Civil Engineering > Vol.5 No.1, March 2015

Case Study: Finding Better Solutions for Municipal Solid Waste Management in a Semi Local Authority in Sri Lanka ()

Bandunee Champika Liyanage¹, Renuka Gurusinghe¹, Sunil Herat², Masafumi Tateda³

¹Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Technology, The Open University of Sri Lanka, Nawala, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka.
²Griffith School of Engineering, Nathan Campus, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia.
³Department of Environmental Engineering, Toyama Prefectural University, Toyama, Japan.

DOI: 10.4236/ojce.2015.51007 PDF HTML XML 5,156 Downloads 7,091 Views Citations

Abstract

This case study investigates better and sustainable waste management for a given area in Sri Lanka. A questionnaire and field surveys were performed in a small local authority adjacent to Colombo, the capital city. Composting for organic waste and incineration for non-compostable waste were found to be important treatment methods for solid-waste management. The reduction of solid waste is a critical process for sustainable management. Currently, people in the area do not have much interest in waste recycling to decrease the cost of solid-waste management. It was therefore concluded that raising people’s awareness would play an important role in the reduction of solid waste. A suitable waste-management plan needs to be made for each community and area. The situation and conditions of every area is different, therefore each community needs to make an effort to find its own better and sustainable solid-waste management process.

Keywords

Pradeshiya Sabha, Sri Lanka, Solid Waste, Questionnaire, Field Survey, Awareness

Share and Cite:

Liyanage, B. , Gurusinghe, R. , Herat, S. and Tateda, M. (2015) Case Study: Finding Better Solutions for Municipal Solid Waste Management in a Semi Local Authority in Sri Lanka. Open Journal of Civil Engineering, 5, 63-73. doi: 10.4236/ojce.2015.51007.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Desa, A., Kadir, N.B.A. and Yusooff, F. (2012) Waste Education and Awareness Strategy: Towards Solid Waste Management (SWM) Program at UKM. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 59, 47-50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.09.244
[2]	Jibril, J.D., Sipan, I.B., Sappi, M., Shika, S.A., Isa, M. and Abdullah, S. (2012) 3R’s Critical Success Factors in Solid Waste Management System for Higher Educational Institutions. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 65, 626-631. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.11.175
[3]	Sekito, T., Prayogo, T.B., Dote, T., Yoshitake, T. and Bagus, I. (2013) Influence of a Community-Based Waste Management System on People’s Behavior and Waste Reduction. Resource, Conservation, and Recycling, 72, 84-90. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2013.01.001
[4]	Rushbrook, P.E. and Finnecy, E.E. (1988) Planning for Future Waste Management Operations in Developing Countries. Waste Management & Research, 6, 1-21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0734242X8800600101
[5]	Al-Khatib, I.A., Monou, M., Zahra, A.S.F.A., Shaheen, H.Q. and Kassinos, D. (2010) Solid Waste Characterization, Quantification and Management Practices in Developing Countries. A Case Study: Nablus District-Palestine. Journal of Environmental Management, 91, 1131-1138. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2010.01.003
[6]	Zurbrügg, C., Gfrefer, M., Ashadi, H., Brenner, W. and Küpper, D. (2012) Determinants of Sustainability in Solid Waste Management—The Gianyar Waste Recovery Project in Indonesia. Waste Management, 32, 2126-2133. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2012.01.011
[7]	Menikpura, S.N.M., Sang-Arun, J. and Bengtsson, M. (2013) Integrates Solid Waste Management: an Approach for Enhancing Climate Co-Benefits through Resource Recovery. Journal of Cleaner Production, 58, 34-42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.03.012
[8]	Lohri, C.R., Camenzind, E.J. and Zurbrügg, C. (2014) Financial Sustainability in Municipal Solid Waste Management —Costs and Revenues in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. Waste Management, 34, 542-552. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2013.10.014
[9]	Arukwe, A., Eggen, T. and Möder, M. (2012) Solid Waste Deposits as a Significant Sources of Contaminants of Emerging Concern to the Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments—A Developing Country Case Study from Owerri, Nigeria. Science of the Total Environment, 438, 94-102. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.08.039
[10]	Bleck, D. and Wettberg, W. (2012) Waste Collection in Developing Countries—Tackling Occupational Safety and Health Hazards at Their Source. Waste Management, 32, 2009-2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2012.03.025
[11]	Marshall, R.E. and Farahbakhsh, K. (2013) Systems Approaches to Integrated Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries. Waste Management, 33, 988-1003. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2012.12.023
[12]	Sasaki, S., Araki, T., Tambunan, A.H. and Prasadja, H. (2014) Household Income, Living and Working Conditions of Dumpsite Waste Pickers in Bantar Gebang: Toward Integrated Waste Management in Indonesia. Resource, Conservation, and Recycling, 89, 11-21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2014.05.006
[13]	Wilson, D.C., Velis, C. and Cheeseman, C. (2006) Role of Informal Sector Recycling in Waste Management in Developing Countries. Habitat International, 30, 797-808. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2005.09.005
[14]	Oguntoyinbo, O.O. (2012) Informal Waste Management System in Nigeria and Barriers to an Inclusive Modern Waste Management System: A Review. Public Health, 126, 441-447. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2012.01.030
[15]	Paul, J.G., Arce-Jaque, J., Ravena, N. and Villamor, S.P. (2012) Integration of the Informal Sector into Municipal Solid Waste Management in the Philippines—What Does It Need? Waste Management, 32, 2018-2028. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2012.05.026
[16]	Oteng-Ababio, M., Arguello, J.E.M. and Gabbay, O. (2013) Solid Waste Management in African Cities: Sorting the Facts from the Fads in Accra, Ghana. Habitat International, 39, 96-104. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2012.10.010
[17]	Ouano, E.A.R. (1988) Review of the Issues in Hazardous and Toxic Waste Management in Developing Countries. Waste Pollution Control in Asia, 433-439.
[18]	Vehlow, J. (1998) Waste Management Systems in Industrialized and Developing Countries—Generation, Quality, and Disposal. Proceeding of First International Conference on Environmental Engineering and Renewable Energy, Mongolia, 7-10 September 1998, 405-414. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-043006-5.50057-4
[19]	Oakley, S.M. and Jimenez, R. (2012) Sustainable Sanitary Landfills for Neglected Small Cities in Developing Countries: The Semi-Mechanized Trench Method from Villanueva, Honduras. Waste Management, 32, 2535-2551. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2012.07.030
[20]	Vidanaarachchi, C.K., Yuen, S.T.S. and Pilapitiya, S. (2006) Municipal Solid Waste in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka: Problems, Issues and Challenges. Waste Management, 26, 920-930. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2005.09.013
[21]	Damghani, A.M., Savarypour, G., Zand, E. and Deihimfard, R. (2008) Municipal Solid Waste Management in Tehran: Current Practices, Opportunities and Challenges. Waste Management, 28, 929-934. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2007.06.010
[22]	Mallawarachchi, H. and Karunasena, G. (2012) Electronic and Electrical Waste Management in Sri Lanka: Suggestions for National Policy Enhancements. Resource, Conservation, and Recycling, 68, 44-53. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2012.08.003
[23]	Department of Census and Statistics (2012) Census of Population and Housing in 2012. DCS, Colombo.
[24]	Bruner, C.R. (1998) Design of Incinerator System. McGraw Hill, New York.