Solid Waste Management: Issues and Challenges in Asia
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From: Solid Waste Management: Issues and Challenges in Asia ©APO 2007, ISBN: 92-833-7058-9 Report of the APO Survey on Solid-Waste Management 2004–05 Edited by the Environmental Management Centre, Mumbai, India Published by the Asian Productivity Organization 1-2-10 Hirakawacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0093, Japan Tel: (81-3) 5226 3920 • Fax: (81-3) 5226 3950 E-mail: [email protected] • URL: www.apo-tokyo.org Disclaimer and Permission to Use This document is a part of the above-titled publication, and is provided in PDF format for educational use. It may be copied and reproduced for personal use only. For all other purposes, the APO's permission must first be obtained. The responsibility for opinions and factual matter as expressed in this document rests solely with its author(s), and its publication does not constitute an endorsement by the APO of any such expressed opinion, nor is it affirmation of the accuracy of information herein provided. Bound editions of the entire publication may be available for limited purchase. Order forms may be downloaded from the APO's web site. Report of the APO Survey on Solid-Waste Management 2004–05 Environmental Management Centre, Mumbai, India, served as the volume editor. The opinions expressed in this publication do not reflect the official view of the Asian Productivity Organization. For reproduction of the contents in part or in full, the APO’s prior permission is required. Asian Productivity Organization, 2007 ISBN: 92-833-7058-9 CONTENTS Foreword ................................................................................................................................... v Part I Overview of Solid-Waste Management in Asian Countries ......................................................... Tay Joo Hwa ............. 3 Part II Green Productivity Approaches to SWM: Turning Waste into Profit .......................................... Augustine Koh ........... 11 Part III National Reports 1. Bangladesh ........................................ G. M. Jainal Abedin Bhuiya ........... 19 2. Republic of China ............................................. Hsiao-Hsin Huang ........... 32 3. India ................................................................................. Dass Ravi ........... 62 4. Islamic Republic of Iran ..................... Dr. Mohammad Ali Abduli ........... 92 5. Malaysia .............................................................. Dr. Goh Ban Lee ......... 118 6. Nepal .................................................................. Bhushan Tuladhar ......... 142 7. Philippines ............................................................ Danilo G. Lapid ......... 187 8. Singapore ............................................................ Cheong Hock Lai ......... 226 9. Sri Lanka .............................................. Thercy Devika Abeysuriya ......... 246 10. Thailand ............................................................. Chawalit Hongyon ......... 274 11. Vietnam ............................................................. Hoang Viet Cuong ......... 298 Part IV Appendixes 1. List of Experts ............................................................................................... 331 2. List of Abbreviations and Acronyms ........................................................... 335 FOREWORD One of the most obvious impacts of rapidly increasing urbanization and economic development can be witnessed in the form of heaps of municipal solid waste. Based on estimates, waste generation in Asia has reached 1 million tons per day. A World Bank study showed that urban areas in Asia spent USD25 million per year on solid-waste management, and this figure will increase to USD47 million per year. Despite the huge expenditures, urban areas in most APO member countries are still grappling with the challenge of preventing environmental degrada- tion due to nonsystematic solid-waste management. Apart from the contamination of water resources and severe air pollution due to the open burning of solid waste, the health hazard is another key issue to be addressed. Solid-waste management has become an important issue in the Asia-Pacific region, and it needs to be resolved through an integrated community, private- sector, and policy-based approach. Since recognizing the significance of solid-waste management, the APO has been organiz- ing multicountry workshops, seminars, and conferences to discuss related issues and problems in member countries and devise solutions. A survey was conducted on solid-waste management in 11 APO member countries: Bangladesh, Republic of China, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam to assess current solid-waste management practices and to highlight issues, problems, and the initiatives under- taken to tackle them. This survey was also an attempt to create a consolidated database on solid waste that can be utilized for planning purposes at the national level and for strategy formulation for regional planning. The APO has been promoting Green Productivity, i.e., the integration of productivity enhancement and environmental protection, as a method for sustainable socioeconomic devel- opment, which can help member countries adopt simple, down-to-earth measures for system- atic solid-waste management. This survey also encompassed such endeavors and activities undertaken by the target countries. This volume contains information collected during the survey on solid-waste management in the 11 countries, including waste-generation profiles, regulatory frameworks, solid-waste management governance, waste-collection and disposal mechanisms, Green Productivity activi- ties, etc. I hope that this publication will be useful for policymakers, planners, and solid-waste- management professionals, giving them a better insight into the issues involved and developing a perspective for addressing them. Shigeo Takenaka Secretary-General Tokyo August 2007 OVERVIEW OF SOLID-WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ASIAN COUNTRIES Tay Joo Hwa Director and CEO Institute of Environmental Science & Engineering Nanyang Technological University Singapore BACKGROUND Solid-waste management is a major challenge in urban areas throughout the world. Without an effective and efficient solid-waste management program, the waste generated from various human activities, both industrial and domestic, can result in health hazards and have a negative impact on the environment. Understanding the waste generated, the availability of resources, and the environmental conditions of a particular society are important to developing an appro- priate waste-management system. Solid-waste management may be defined as the discipline associated with controlling the generation, storage, collection, transfer and transport, processing, and disposal of solid waste in a manner that is in accordance with the best principles of health, economics, engineering, conservation, aesthetics, and other environmental considerations, and that is also responsive to public attitudes. In its scope, solid-waste management includes all administrative, financial, legal, planning, and engineering functions involved in the solutions to all problems of solid waste. The solutions may involve complex interdisciplinary fields such as political science, city and regional planning, geography, economics, public health, sociology, demography, com- munications, and conservation, as well engineering and materials science. For instance, if waste is wet or has a low heating value, it would not be possible to incinerate it without adding supplemental fuel. If a portion of the waste stream consists of organics and can be easily separated from other waste materials, bioconversion of the waste may become a viable strategy. On the other hand, the waste generated by industrialized coun- tries may be different from those generated by nonindustrialized countries. Nonindustrialized societies may have more organic waste than those generated by industrialized countries. If this is the case, composting or anaerobic digestion may be more suitable for organic waste management. The activities associated with managing solid waste from the generation point to final disposal normally include generation, reduction, reuse, recycling, handling, collection, transfer and transport, transformation (e.g., recovery and treatment), and disposal. Depending on site- specific conditions, a sound waste-management program can be established by combining some of the necessary activities into integrated solid-waste management. On the other hand, legisla- tive efforts and effective implementation are vital for the safe management and disposal of solid waste. Incentives may be provided for the development and practice of safe treatments, harmless manufacturing processes, and methods for converting solid waste into valuable re- sources by recycling and reuse. On the part of industry, industrial waste-management is also indispensable from the viewpoint of both the social responsibility of business corporations and ISO 14000, which will influence their survival in global markets. Keeping the above background in view, the fact-finding survey has been conducted to –3– Solid-Waste Management study the current situation, major problems, and techno-managerial practices on solid-waste management in the member countries. It is the purpose of this APO project to gather solid- waste management information from member countries to develop a combination of processes and innovative approaches to manage and treat