Effective Measures for Municipal Solid Waste Management for Cities in Some Asian Countries

Due to increasing generation of municipal solid waste and lack of understanding about the different stages of municipal solid waste management (MSWM) practices, several cities in Asian countries and elsewhere are facing environmental and health problems caused by improper municipal solid waste management. Based on literatures of municipal solid waste management practices, there have been no established criteria for effective municipal solid waste management practices. This study aimed to investigate the existing municipal solid waste management practices, and develop MSWM indicators and their influencing factors responsible for effective MSWM practices which covered collection efficiency, treatment efficiency, benefit/cost ratio, and social satisfaction. Based on data collected from 80 cities in three Asian countries (Malaysia, Nepal, and Thailand), factors influencing the efficiency of the municipal solid waste management indicators were identified using Response Surface Methodology. A municipal solid waste management effectiveness diagram with the satisfactory levels for MSWM practices was developed and tested with actual data of four cities in Asian countries having different municipal solid waste management efficiencies. The findings identified the influencing factors affecting the municipal solid waste management efficiencies of these tested cities and proposed effective measures for improving municipal solid waste management practices. The effective municipal solid waste management measures, as proposed, are recommended for implementation by various cities to minimize environmental pollution and protect public health.