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Application of material flow analysis for the assessment of current municipal solid waste management in Karachi, Pakistan

Aslam, Shiza ; Ali, Faizan ; Naseer, Amna and Sheikh, Zeshan (2022) In Waste Management and Research 40(2). p.185-194
Abstract

This article assesses the status of the solid waste management system (SWMS) in Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan, using the material flow analysis approach, a widely applied method in waste management (WM) studies. It involves a systematic assessment of the material flows of solid waste under the current WM system. A material flow diagram is developed to visualize the input and output waste flows. This study shows the quantification and identification of municipal solid waste (MSW) flow for the year 2019, from the point of generation to the end-use and disposal. Results show that the MSW generation increased from 10,435 to 15,600 metric tonnes per day (TPD) between 2017 to 2019. Approximately, 75% of the waste generated is... (More)

This article assesses the status of the solid waste management system (SWMS) in Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan, using the material flow analysis approach, a widely applied method in waste management (WM) studies. It involves a systematic assessment of the material flows of solid waste under the current WM system. A material flow diagram is developed to visualize the input and output waste flows. This study shows the quantification and identification of municipal solid waste (MSW) flow for the year 2019, from the point of generation to the end-use and disposal. Results show that the MSW generation increased from 10,435 to 15,600 metric tonnes per day (TPD) between 2017 to 2019. Approximately, 75% of the waste generated is collected: formally (50%); and informally (25%). The material recovery is low, accounting for only 26.28% of the total waste. There is no official material recovery and recycling facility. Therefore, material recovery solely depends on the informal sector. Results show that 70% of the daily waste ends up in landfills, which is 3120 TPD more than the formally collected waste. This estimated waste of 3120 TPD flows in either due to disposal activities of the backlogged waste or informally collected waste. Overall, Karachi’s SWMS performs poorly with a significant need for improvement. This study recommends adopting integrated WM approaches and inclusion of the informal sector to ensure the affordability and sustainability of the WM system.

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author
; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
integrated waste management, Karachi, material flow analysis, Solid waste management
in
Waste Management and Research
volume
40
issue
2
pages
10 pages
publisher
SAGE Publications
external identifiers
  • scopus:85103101175
  • pmid:33764236
ISSN
0734-242X
DOI
10.1177/0734242X211000427
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
5d4e7245-57aa-49b4-97dd-d646a7a13702
date added to LUP
2022-03-07 16:59:44
date last changed
2024-06-22 18:30:00
@article{5d4e7245-57aa-49b4-97dd-d646a7a13702,
  abstract     = {{<p>This article assesses the status of the solid waste management system (SWMS) in Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan, using the material flow analysis approach, a widely applied method in waste management (WM) studies. It involves a systematic assessment of the material flows of solid waste under the current WM system. A material flow diagram is developed to visualize the input and output waste flows. This study shows the quantification and identification of municipal solid waste (MSW) flow for the year 2019, from the point of generation to the end-use and disposal. Results show that the MSW generation increased from 10,435 to 15,600 metric tonnes per day (TPD) between 2017 to 2019. Approximately, 75% of the waste generated is collected: formally (50%); and informally (25%). The material recovery is low, accounting for only 26.28% of the total waste. There is no official material recovery and recycling facility. Therefore, material recovery solely depends on the informal sector. Results show that 70% of the daily waste ends up in landfills, which is 3120 TPD more than the formally collected waste. This estimated waste of 3120 TPD flows in either due to disposal activities of the backlogged waste or informally collected waste. Overall, Karachi’s SWMS performs poorly with a significant need for improvement. This study recommends adopting integrated WM approaches and inclusion of the informal sector to ensure the affordability and sustainability of the WM system.</p>}},
  author       = {{Aslam, Shiza and Ali, Faizan and Naseer, Amna and Sheikh, Zeshan}},
  issn         = {{0734-242X}},
  keywords     = {{integrated waste management; Karachi; material flow analysis; Solid waste management}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{185--194}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Waste Management and Research}},
  title        = {{Application of material flow analysis for the assessment of current municipal solid waste management in Karachi, Pakistan}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0734242X211000427}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/0734242X211000427}},
  volume       = {{40}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}