Toward Sustainable Municipal Organic Waste Management in South Asia: A Guidebook for Policy Makers and Practitioners

Abstract

Great untapped potential exists in South Asia to scale up innovative approaches in managing the large fraction of municipal organic (biodegradable) waste within the region’s solid waste streams. On average, 70% of solid waste generated throughout the region is biodegradable organic mass with high moisture content. Left to itself, this organic waste is digested through an anaerobic process leading to the emission of harmful methane gas which not only adds to global warming and associated climate change, but also leads to increased public and environmental health risks. Alternative treatment methods such as composting, anaerobic digestion, and refuse-derived fuels (RDF) offer a more sustainable course of action than the “business-as-usual” approach of open dumping and unsanitary landfilling. These approaches also produce value-added resources, including organic fertilizer and renewable energy, while generating environmental and economic benefits.