Municipal Solid Waste Management in Tirora City

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) poses a difficult and complex problem for the society. It is acquiring an alarming dimension in India. Industrialization and urbanization brought in changing life styles because of which the quantity of solid waste generated has increased significantly and its characteristics have changed. Lack of financial resources, institutional weakness, improper choice of technology and public apathy towards Solid Waste Management (SWM) has made this service far from satisfactory. In this context, the study investigates the present scenario of SWM in Tirora city of Maharashtra which has 17 wards. Samples were collected from all the 17 wards for characterization. The Tirora Municipal Council does not operate any specific method of collection system. The waste is dumped on the roadside in the open land which is then collected in tractors and transported to the disposal site. For primary collection from slum zones, tricycles and handcarts are used. The disposal site is near Bhiwapur village which is 10 km away from the city. At present, solid waste is not segregated at source and open dumping is practiced. These practices do not comply with the guidelines laid by MSW (Handling and Management) Rules 2000. The average per capita generation of solid waste per day was found to be 270 gm. A thorough study of all the components of Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) was carried out and scientific management of MSW was suggested. In this paper suggestions have been given for proper management of MSW in Tirora city