Regional Approach to Municipal Solid Waste Management

Institutional arrangement enables the coming together of the partnering municipalities. The process serves two key purposes: establishing formal (management) structure for regional projects; and, providing the necessary authority for financing, operating and monitoring the SWM activities.

Abstract: Increasing urbanisation and changing lifestyles are generating an enormous quantum of waste that small or even big cities cannot manage independently. To meet the challenge, a regionally organised management of solid waste has been under consideration in our nation. Economy of scale along with pulled professional, technical and human expertise makes such an option viable.

The author is President, National Solid Waste Association of India (NSWAI), Mumbai.