Towards Sustainable Solid Waste Management: Estimating Resource Recovery Potentials in Bhimdatta Municipality, Kanchanpur, Nepal

Authors- Assistant Professor Sagar Hamal

Abstract-Rapid urbanization and population growth in developing countries like Nepal have led to a significant increase in municipal solid waste (MSW) generation. The prevalent practice of haphazardly dumping waste in open sites poses both environmental and financial challenges. To address this issue, a study centered on Bhimdatta municipality of Kanchanpur district in Nepal explores alternative waste management options, specifically emphasizing composting and recycling. The study aims to calculate per capita solid waste generation, estimate the recovery value from MSW through compost, biogas, plastics, and paper in the municipality, and encourage the adoption of alternative solid waste management options such as composting and recycling. Following established guidelines and assumptions, calculations for the recovery values of compost, biogas, plastic, and paper are conducted based on the composition and quantity of MSW generation. The study calculates per capita solid waste generation of 0.02208 kg/cap/day. It evaluates different combinations of solid waste allocation for composting and landfilling to optimize revenue generation. The proposed optimal combination of 0.209 tonne/day for composting and 0.1 tonne/day for landfilling, resulted in a net recovery of NPR 1080.24 per day. Additionally, plastic and paper contribute recovery values of NPR 103.44 and NPR 92.8, respectively. The study highlights a substantial daily recovery value from MSW, totaling NPR 1,276.48 or approximately NPR 4.66 lakhs per year. However, it is essential to consider investment costs for implementing a compost plant and landfill biogas collection system, which can be recovered over a few years of operation.

DOI: /10.61463/ijset.vol.12.issue2.159