Densely populated, the Kathmandu Valley generates a huge amount of solid waste. Data depicts its total solid waste accumulation of about 350 tons a day, heaps of organic (70 per cent), plastic (9 per cent), paper (8 per cent), inert materials (4 per cent), and rubber and metals threatening sanitation and health.
Out of the 350 tons of solid waste produced in Kathmandu, around 306 tons is collected by Kathmandu Metropolitan City everyday, accounting for its expense to about Rs 18 million a year. Almost 1,500 staffs are deployed to mitigate the solid waste in the city. The Teku transfer station and Sisdol landfill site already seem overstressed. Our efforts and resources have gone in vain in search of an alternative disposal site.
In the beginning, production-oriented concept is to be implanted in the mind of every child. Early childhood is the best time for a person to cultivate worthiness out of waste. Curriculum that could generate a sense of productivity from waste materials is long awaited. [break]
Our undergoing approach also needs some amendments. We have only a few designated disposal sites, which have created pressure over such areas. Now, we need to develop a community-based management system. Rather than collecting from several areas and dumping at a single site, we need to segregate the solid waste from every house, coordinate in every community and recycle them separately.
Vermicomposting – the process of using worms and microorganisms to turn kitchen waste into black, earthy-smelling, nutrient-rich humus – and compost bin practices are barely seen here. This practice could reduce the accumulation of solid waste, reduce litter concentration at disposal sites, develop recycling practice at the community level, ensure cleanliness of the rivers and generate valuable items from the waste.
The generated compost can be used to germinate seeds and crops in agricultural fields. Various other options such as production of fuel from plastic, plastic wares from recycled polymers, and utensils from recycled metals remain open. Factories for such productions can be established in the suburbs while the collection and segregation shall be the responsibility of the communities. Foreign technical assistance could be sought in the conversion process in the starting phase.
Furthermore, sanitation codes to prescribe guidelines, requirements and restrictions to ensure cleanliness must made strict. Fines and penalties for breaching the rules should be charged. We must welcome I/NGOs interested in waste management, especially focusing on recycle and reuse, not only the disposal by burying and burning. Subsidy in tax, duty for equipment, activities having potential of assisting collection, segregation, waste management and toxicity reduction techniques for enhancing healthy ecology are other incentives.
The state should protect and advance the rights of people to a balanced and healthy ecology in accordance with nature’s rhythm and harmony. The government should assemble all stakeholders, define their roles, and encourage them to have their share in the ecological management of solid waste. It needs to access required resources from national and international donors who could provide funding for a comprehensive and integrated solid waste management system utilizing environmentally sustainable technology. Individual, community and government efforts, if planned accordingly, can serve our interest of a cozy Kathmandu City with a sustained waste management system for ideal ecological and social solidarity.
The writer is a student of Bachelor’s in Business Administration (BBA) at Citizen College, Satdobato.
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