Best Practices on SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT OF …...BEST PRACTICES ON SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT OF...

Best Practices onSOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

OF NEPALESE CITIES

PRACTICAL ACTION NEPALP O Box 15135, Pandol Marga,LazimpatKathmandu, NepalTelephone: +00 977 1 444 6015, +00 977 1 209 4063Fax: +00 977 1 444 5995E-mail: [email protected]


OF NEPALESE CITIES

PUBLISHED BY:

Practical Action NepalP O Box 15135, Pandol Marga, LazimpatKathmandu, Nepal

SUPPORTED BY:

European Union under the EC Asia Pro Eco II programmePractical Action Nepal

FIRST EDITION:

November 2008

Designed & processed by WordScape, 5013567

iii

BEST PRACTICES ON SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT OF NEPALESE CITIES

Contents

Abbreviations iv

Foreword v

1.0 Background 1

2.0 National Best Practices in Solid Waste Management 2

Solid Waste Mangement in Bhaktapur 4

Solid Waste Management in Tribhuvannagar 9

Solid Waste Management in Bharatpur 14

Waste Management in Biratnagar 19

Solid Waste Management in Hetauda 24

NEPCEMAC involvement in door-to-door waste collection 29

Suiro programme at Bharatpur 33

Suiro Abhiyan at Hetauda Municipality 37

UEMS for household composting 41

WEPCO for Urban Environmental Protection 45

3.0 Conclusions and lessons learnt 49

References 52


iv

Abbreviations

BSMC Biratnagar Sub-Metropolitan CIty

CBO Community-based organisation

CBS Central Bureau of Statistics

CKV Clean Kathmandu Valley

DFID Department for International Development

GO Governmental organization

GTZ German Technical Cooperation

INGO International non-governmental organisation

ISWM Integrated Solid Waste Management

JICA Japan International Cooperation Agency

LSMC Lalirpur Sub-Metropolitan City

MuAN Municipal Association of Nepal

NGO Non-governmental organization

PPP Public-Private Partnership

PPPUE Public Private Partnership for Urban Environment

RRR Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

RUPP Rural Urban Partnership Program

SWM Solid waste management

SWMRMC Solid Waste Management and Resource Mobilization Center

TDF Town development fund

TLO Tole Lane Organization

UDLE Urban Development through Local Effort

UEIP Urban and Environmental Improvement Project

UEMS Urban Environment Management Society

UNEP United Nations Environmental Program

UNDP United Nations Development Program

UWEP Urban Waste Expertise Program

WEPCO Women’s Environment Preservation Committee

WWF Worldwide Fund for Nature

v


Foreword

Practical Action Nepal Office has initiated a project “Strengthening Local Capacities inIntegrated Sustainable Waste Management (ISWM) in small and medium municipalitiesof Nepal” with the financial support from European Union under its EC Asia Eco Pro IIprogramme and close partnership among Practical Action Nepal, GTZ/udle, MuAN andWASTE. The project is basically targeted to four municipalities i.e. Bharatpur, Vyas,Birendranagar and Nepalgunj. The project aims to improve the health and environmentalconditions of disadvantaged people living in the project municipalities. One of the majoractivities of the project is to disseminate best practices on sustainable waste manage-ment technologies, processes and approaches, from which it can develop and adapt theprocesses that are suitable in the context of urban centres of developing countries. In thiscontext, review of national and international best practices on solid waste managementwas performed in January 2008.

In fact solid waste management is a big challenge to all established and emerging townsof Nepal. Basically municipalities are giving preferences only on collecting the wasteand dumping it. The principle of 3R (waste reduction, re-use and recycle) are not prioritisedby the municipalities for effective sustainable waste management. Further, municipali-ties have not yet fully recognised the important stakeholders of waste management likeNGOs/CBOs and private formal and informal sector which can be involved during theplanning, implementation and monitoring for effective waste management.

This book contains a range of best practices on solid waste management from variousmunicipalities of Nepal. It also contains the admirable initiatives of national and localNGOs/CBOs. I hope that this book will be highly instrumental regarding solid wastemanagement to urban centres as well as emerging towns of developing countries.

I would like to thank Mr. Rajib Dhakal for collecting and writing the best practices. Iwould like to thank Mr. Mansoor Ali and Mr. Adrian Coad for supporting us in editing thetext. I would like to thank my colleague Ms. Jun Hada, Ms. Shradha Bohara, Ms. KalpanaBasyal, Mr. Bir Kirshna Maharjan and Mr. Binaya Raj Shrestha for supporting in thepublication of the book. Last but not the least; I would like to thank the institutions andthe individuals who have supported to gather the best practices.

Achyut LuitelCountry Director

1


In Nepal, urbanisation is increasing at an alarmingrate1. It is putting immense pressure on municipalservices. One of the problems of the urbanisation

and increasing consumerism is the increased generationof waste. This waste is not being adequately managedand is therefore creating a serious health andenvironmental hazard, particularly in the slum areas,where the residents have less capacity to pay for betterservices and are often ignored by the official agencies.Poor urban settlements are more affected because ofindiscriminate dumping and the lack of open space. Insuch a setting, Practical Action Nepal has initiated aproject known as “Strengthening Local Capacities inIntegrated Sustainable Waste Management (ISWM) insmall and medium municipalities of Nepal” withfinancial support from European Union under its ECAsia Pro Eco II Programme. The project is targeted atfour municipalities – Bharatpur, Vyas, Birendranagarand Nepalgunj. The project is a partnership betweenPractical Action, GTZ/UDLE, the Municipal Associationof Nepal (MuAN) and WASTE Netherlands with therespective municipalities.

When the project started, the target municipalities andcommunity groups were found to have limited accessto information on

how to improve waste systems,how to use waste in an economically productive way,andalternative waste management techniques andpractices which would significantly improve thelivelihoods, health and environment of the urban poor.

Since the poor urban areas are the worst affected, theproject’s main objective was to improve the health andenvironmental conditions of disadvantaged people livingin the emerging municipalities of Nepal. Specifically,the project aimed to strengthen the capacities of foursmall or medium-sized emerging municipalities in

1.0 BACKGROUND

Western Nepal to better manage their waste througheffective participatory planning and the introduction ofsustainable waste management systems that cover thewhole town, including low-income areas. The projectworks with the four chosen municipalities and a varietyof local stakeholders, including the MunicipalAssociation of Nepal (MuAN), community leaders,small-scale business entrepreneurs, and local formaland informal private sector enterprises that providewaste management services.

In Nepal, a number of solid waste management projectshave been evaluated. One of the major activities of thisproject was to bring together all the lessons learnedfrom these projects and disseminate them. Drawing oninternational best practices for sustainable wastemanagement technologies, processes and approaches,the project developed and promoted approaches thatare well suited to the selected municipalities. In thiscontext a publication entitled “Best practices on solidwaste management of Nepalese cities” is being puttogether. It will review replicable, community-basedinitiatives in Nepal and assesses potentials andconstraints so that the project partner and othermunicipalities can build on these experiences as theyadapt and develop appropriate initiatives. It is hopedthat this anticipated publication will strengthen thecapacity of municipal governments and otherorganisations in improving waste managementpractices.

This review work for this report has been done within ashort period of time and relies on the information currentlyavailable. Maximum effort was focused on identifyingeffective waste management practices in the cities andtowns of Nepal. This study focuses only on examples ofbest practice and it does not cover schemes which havefailed, theoretical cases which were never implemented,and policy, institutional and legislation aspects.

1 At the rate of 7.1% per year ( CBS, 2001)


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2.0 NATIONAL BEST PRACTICES IN SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

In developed countries, the main motivations forwaste reduction are frequently related to legislation, environmental protection, the scarcity of sites

for landfills, and the risks associated with toxicmaterials. The same considerations apply in developingcountries to large metropolitan areas that are subjectto many economic and environmental pressures. Urbancentres which do not have effective collection anddisposal systems should not devote resources todeveloping waste reduction measures until adequatewaste management systems are in place. For this, orother reasons, solid waste managers in developingcountries tend to pay little attention to the issue ofreducing organic wastes which make up from 50 percent to 90 per cent of the total waste generated.

Management of solid waste is a growing concern inNepal as urban population densities increase and flatusable land is in short supply. Although small urbancentres were declared to be municipalities2, they sufferfrom a lack of infrastructural and technical resourcesto tackle the problem of waste management. Withincreasing public awareness about good health and aclean environment, solid waste management has nowcome to the top of the priorities of the municipalities inNepal. When the environmental impacts of proposed

landfills are being investigated, it is often found thatresidents refuse to accept landfill sites near their homesand local leaders from various political parties are ofteninvolved in protests against proposed landfill locations.Though the Local Self Governance Act of 1999 hasempowered municipalities to take every necessaryaction at the local level, the absence of electedrepresentatives3 since 1998 has been causingdifficulties in its implementation. Even thoughcollection systems are still not in place, most of themunicipalities are expressing their desire to developfinal disposal systems. They are also promoting wastereduction, reuse and recycling among localcommunities.

Some of the 58 municipalities in various parts of thecountry are providing effective house-to-house wastecollection services and some are making good progresstowards final disposal. For this review, communities andprivate sector service providers have been selectedaccording to their present performance in waste reduction.Priority is given to those community-based organisations(CBOs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) thatare playing effective roles in waste reduction at source,collection, processing and recycling. Table 1 providesdetails of the regions and municipalities in Nepal.

2 Population more than 20,000 with annual revenue of NRs. 10 million.3 At the time of writing there are no elected mayors in the municipalities of Nepal and municipal

administration is being handled by government bureaucrats. There have been no recent municipalelections and local bodies are not allowed to function.

3


In this report, the best municipalities in terms of theirwaste management performance5 were selected forinclusion and analysis on the basis of their keyfinancial indicators6 - as presented in the 2008 reportprepared by UDLE7 and the government of Nepal8. Themunicipalities selected for the analysis of wastemanagement performance and financial indicators areBhaktapur, Bharatpur, Biratnagar, Hetauda andTribhuvannagar.

The selection of the best NGOs has been done accordingto their solid waste management performance andinterviews with various waste managementprofessionals. Accordingly, cases from the NepalPollution Control and Environment Management Centre,Suiro Abhiyan, Hetauda, the Suiro Programme ofBharatpur, the Urban Environment Management Societyand the Women's Environment Preservation Committeehave been chosen. Conclusions and lessons learnt arediscussed in the last part of this publication.

Development Region Location Municipality

Eastern Development Region Tarai4 Damak, Inaruwa, Bhadrapur, Itahari, Siraha, Biratnagar, Rajbiraj, Lahan,

(EDR) Dharan, Mechinagar

Hill Ilam, Dhankuta, Triyuga, Khadbari

Central Development Region Tarai Malangawa, Bharatpur, Hetauda, Janakpur, Gaur, Ratnanagar, Birgunj,

(CDR) Kalaiya, Jaleshwor, Kamalamai

Hill Panauti, Kirtipur, Thimi, Bidur, Banepa, Bhimeshwor, Dhulikhel,

Kathmandu, Lalitpur , Bhaktapur

Western Development Region Tarai Butawal, Kapilvastu, Ramgram, Siddarthanagar, (WDR)

Hill Putalibazar, Lekhnath, Prithivinarayan, Vyas, Waling, Pokhara, Tansen,

Baglung

Mid-Western Development Region Tarai Gularia, Nepalgunj, Tulsipur, Tribhuvannagar

(MWDR) Hill Birendranagar, Narayan

Far Western Development Region Tarai Mahendranagar, Dhangadi, Tikapur

(FWDR) Hill Amargadhi, Dasarathchand, Dipayal

Totals: Tarai= 31; Hill= 27

Table 1 Municipalities and their geographical locations in Nepal

4 Southern part of Nepal with flat topography5 Based on discussion with professionals , governmental staff and staff from SWMRMC6 Financial indicators: Recurring revenue, own source revenue, property rental, current expenditures, capital investment, social devel-

opment, net effect, grants, relative growth, actual to budget performance.7 Urban Development through Local Effort, a programme of GTZ8 Detailed revenue and expenditure breakdown with budget and key financial indicators of 58 municipalities ( for the year 2005-06)


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Introduction

Bhaktapur municipality – a historical town – spreadsover an area of nearly 7 km2. It is a popular touristdestination, located only 30 minutes’ drive from the capitalKathmandu. It is divided into 17 administrative wards9

and 75 per cent of the area is used for agriculture. Theprojected population of this Municipality for the year 2008is 85,000, the urban population growth rate being 1.7 percent and the population density 11,058.38 per km2. (CBS,2001). In 2007, the total number of tourists visiting thismunicipality was 121,431, the peak season being fromSeptember to October (Bhaktapur municipality, 2007).

Rationale for selection

This case is included in the review because it providesinformation about effective waste collection by localcommunity group contractors from different wards.

Case description

Earlier, Bhaktapur municipality had received complaintsfrom local communities because of the ineffectivecollection system and haphazard dumping of solid waste.

Solid Waste Managementin Bhaktapur

URBAN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

Name of the Programme: Solid Waste Management in BhaktapurLocation: North-East of the capital KathmanduDuration of the Project: 2003 onwardsBeneficiaries: Residents of urban areaDonors and Partners: Government of Nepal, GTZ, NGOs, CBOsMunicipal Vision: A clean traditional city

9 Population range of 2000-10,000

In order to address these complaints from the residents,a facility for treating organic waste was implemented.Bhaktapur composting facility was commissioned in1984 with support from GTZ and it has been operatingfor most months of the year for 20 years.

Now the Community Development Section is responsiblefor waste management in the municipality. Most of themunicipalities in Nepal have community developmentsections which are responsible for all aspects of wastemanagement. Local community groups provide wastemanagement services under an annual contract to themunicipality in 12 of the 17 wards. However, themunicipality still has overall responsibility for wastemanagement in the five remaining wards. Thecommunity contractors range in size from three to sevenemployees, and are allocated to the wards according topopulation of each ward. Each group is responsible forone ward in order to facilitate effective wastemanagement. The municipality also allocates one wasteinspector to each of the wards.

Group contractors in all 12 wards are responsible forhousehold waste collection, street sweeping and thecollection of municipal solid waste from variousunofficial collection points. The remuneration of eachmember of the group is same as the salary of a

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According to UN-Habitat, the generation rate for hospitalwaste in Nepal is 1.7 kg/day/bed (UNHABITAT & KMCdata, 2007) and approximate data from the municipalityindicates that, total generation of hospital waste is around860 kg/day. There are four hospitals with a capacity of500 beds (Bhaktapur municipality, 2008 data). Infectioushealthcare waste is incinerated or buried in trencheswithin the perimeter of the hospital.

Waste collection

After the implementation of the solid waste management(SWM) programme, Bhaktapur municipality has beenworking systematically towards effective streetsweeping, collection and transporting of waste. Theservices that are provided are the same in all wards,whether provided by the municipality or by a contractor.Every day waste is collected and the streets are sweptaccording to definite schedules, at 6.00 a.m., 12.00noon and 4.00 p.m. However, in tourist areas, streetsweeping and waste collections are scheduled at fourtimes each day – 6.00 a.m., 12.00 noon, 4.00 p.m. and6.00 p.m.

Staff management and the monitoring of street sweepingand waste collection are very effective becausemunicipality staff work in the area where they live.Every ward has a waste inspector who is responsiblefor monitoring the services. Waste inspectors have theauthority to hire and fire the street sweepers andcollectors who work for the group contractors. Thoughthis arrangement was not welcomed by the sweepersand collectors of the group contractor, the municipalitybelieves that sweepers and collectors who are employedby the group contractor receive adequate benefits andremuneration for the work that they do, and that if

Chart 1: Composition of solid waste at source,Bhaktapur municipality

10 Exchange rate 1 USD = NRs. 77 (October 2008)

permanent sweeper of the municipality. Overtime is paidfor work on public and national holidays. Localresidents have praised this system of wastemanagement because it has not only provided a sourceof income to local residents but has also made it easierto control and complain to the group workers, sincethey are all known to the local community.

The municipality is responsible for transporting anddisposal of all the collected solid waste. The mainfunctions of the Community Development Section arestreet sweeping, cleaning of roadside drains, removalof dead animals, procurement and maintenance ofwaste collection vehicles, recruitment and training ofwaste management staff, and informing the public aboutthe waste management system. This department is alsoactively engaged in waste minimisation and segregation.It has also distributed almost 500 composting bins of50 kilograms capacity, selling them for NRs10. 600 each(Bhaktapur municipality, 2008 data).

Waste generation and composition

The main objective of the waste management programmein this municipality is to provide effective waste collectionfrom households and commercial areas, street sweepingand safe transport to disposal site. According to the dataprovided by the Municipality and the field surveyconducted in May 2008, the average per capita householdwaste generation rate is 0.30kg/capita/day and the totaldaily waste generation is 25 tons. (Bhaktapurmunicipality, 2008 data). These figures are similar tothe national average waste generation rate of 0.25kg/capita/day and the value for the Kathmandu metropolitanarea of 0.39kg/person/day (SWMRMC, 2008 data).

The composition of household waste at source is: 75per cent organic or biodegradable waste, 2.25 per centpaper, 3 per cent textiles, 3.4 per cent plastic, 0.3 percent metal, 1.05 per cent glass, 11.0 per centconstruction debris and 4.0 per cent other materials.(Bhaktapur municipality, 2008 data).

Although the municipality does not have accurate dataregarding the contribution of waste from the differenttypes of sources, approximate data provided by themunicipality indicates that total of 20 tons/day ishousehold waste and 5 tons/day comes from commercialsources (Bhaktapur municipality, 2008 data).


6

someone does not work as expected, then it is fair togive the job to some other poor resident of the samearea who will work more conscientiously.

It is estimated that 20 per cent by weight of bothdomestic and commercial solid waste is recycled bythe municipality. In addition, private waste recyclerscollect recyclable wastes at unofficial collection pointsand also at the dumping site. The municipality operatesa paper recycling plant at Kamalbinayak and it is usingthe recycled paper for its office stationery includingfiles, envelopes and cards. Furthermore, 10 per cent byweight of the organic waste has been used forcomposting (Bhaktapur municipality, 2008 data).

In order to encourage segregation by households and wasteminimisation at source, the municipality is promotingHH composting by the sale of subsidised compost bins,as has already been mentioned. It is intended thathouseholds will use this compost on their gardens or onnearby agricultural land (Bhaktapur municipality, 2008data). Compost is sold for NRs 200.00 for a small truckload of around 700 kg (Bhaktapur municipality, 2008data). The prices paid for recovered paper, plastic, glassand metal are NRs.4, NRs.5, NRs.10, and NRs.35 per kgrespectively ( Bhaktapur municipality, 2008 data).

Transport and Final disposal

Two power tiller trailers (capacity 1 ton) and eight smalltrucks (capacity 700 kg) are mainly used for transportingsolid waste. In addition, four pickups, each having acapacity of 3 tons, two tippers of capacity 3 tons, eightsmall pickups of capacity 700 kg, one backacter loader,one suction tanker and one jetting tanker make up thewaste management fleet. (Bhaktapur municipality, 2008data). Bhaktapur municipality disposes its waste on onebank of the Hanumante River at a point 5 km south-west of the centre of the municipality. 25 tons of wastesare dumped there each day (Bhaktapur municipality,2008 data). This means that 100 per cent of the waste iscollected. Waste pickers, open burning and scavenginganimals were observed at the dumping site.

Organisational andfinancial aspects

In total 212 people are employed within the solidwaste management system of Bhaktapurmunicipality. The waste management workforcecomprises 1 city inspector, 17 ward inspectors, 13drivers, 14 toilet cleaners and 167 labourers(Bhaktapur municipality, 2008 data). The revenue ofthis Municipality is derived from property tax,municipal tax, and licence fees paid by the residentsand businesses. Added to these are grants from thegovernment, grants from foreign organisations, taxespaid by tourists and other user charges.

During the field visit, it was observed that local peoplewere paying a nominal service charge for wastecollection in order to develop a habit of paying for aservice. The municipality collects waste collectioncharges at the annual rates of NRs.30 per kitchen andNRs.60 for every 15 sq ft (1.4 m2) of shop floor area(Bhaktapur municipality, 2008 data). Waste collectioncharges are based on the number of kitchens. Themunicipality has spent approximately NRs.20,870,000for waste management in the year 2007(Bhaktapurmunicipality, 2007 data). This amount is approximately17 per cent of the total municipal expenditure(Bhaktapur municipality, 2007 data). In 2007, the totalmunicipal expenditure per person was NRs.1, 440.

Major problems and issues

Despite its effective system of waste collection, themunicipality is facing problems by poor response forits efforts to encourage waste minimisation at source.Another major problem is that the waste managementworkforce is too small to enable the Municipality toachieve its vision. The municipality charges a verynominal yearly fee for waste management, and so doesnot have sufficient income to fund needed investments.The lack of authority of the Community DevelopmentSection to make financial and administrative decisions,enforcement difficulties, poor cooperation between thepublic and private sectors, and inadequate coordinationwith stakeholders are among the other obstacles.

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Overview of the solid waste management system

Street sweeping& waste collection

Transport

Final disposal

Door-to-door collection Collection from storage points

Recycling of materialseparated by wastepickers

Transporting waste by tippertrucks, tractors with trailers

and small pickups

Dumping of waste onHanumante riverbank

The Community Development Section is not empoweredto solve management problems. For every majordecision, the department should seek the approval ofthe municipal Board11. Similarly, the lack of a localelected body is another problem affecting the operationof the municipality12. Riverside dumping is not a healthyor sustainable method of disposal, and therefore themunicipality, SWMRMC and the Ministry of LocalDevelopment should take the necessary action to locatea landfill site for this municipality.

Conclusions

Involving local groups in street sweeping and thecollection of solid waste is the main lesson from thiscase. The efforts of the municipality to generate revenuefrom user fees, its concern to make the citizensaccustomed to paying for the waste collection serviceand its approach towards SWM planning are allnoteworthy. Small towns of historical significance and

with the potential for tourism are suitable places forinitiating improvements in waste management. Themunicipality has also developed basic facilities forresource utilisation, including the collection, transport& composting of organic waste. Assistance from UDLE-GTZ and UNDP-PPPUE in urban service managementhas played an important role in improving wastemanagement practice. These developments by themunicipality are helping to achieve its vision of a clean,traditional city.

Replicable best practiceand lessons learnt

Both the municipality staff and the group contractorsare local residents. The resulting knowledge of the areasin which they work and their accountability to the localcommunities are contributing to the effectiveness of theapproach. This approach can be replicated in other,similar urban centres of Nepal.

11 The Municipal Board is the main governing body of the municipality. The governmentsecretary and representatives of political parties are included in the governing board.

12 Because of the political turmoil, since 1998 there were no local elected bodies inNepal, and government officials were directing the local bodies.

Contact details: Mr. Indra Prasad Karki, Mr. Moti Bhakta Shrestha, Mr. Dilip Kumar Suwal, Bhaktapur Municipality, BhaktapurPartner contact: The Secretary, Bhaktapur municipality

Phone: 01-610076, 01-6610310, 01-6611522Email: [email protected]


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Dumped waste

Waste dumping at Hanumante riverside

Filling with cover material (soil)

Road on old dumped waste

Clean narrow streets

Street sweeping and waste collection at variouslocations

Waste collection using a small pickup

Main Durbar Square

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Solid Waste Management inTribhuvannagar


Introduction

Tribhuvannagar municipality, the oldest in Rapti Zone,was established in the year 1978. It is located at a distanceof 411 kilometres from the capital, Kathmandu. It has 11wards, a few being located in the Inner Tarai region andthe others are in the hilly region. The urban area of 10km2 comprises two wards with 4,404 households, whereasthe rural area covers 64.45 km2 with 4541 householdsCBS, 2001). The population growth rate is 3.95 per cent(CBS, 2001), giving a projected population of themunicipality for the year 2008 of 55,000. In the urbanareas the population density is 579.26 per km2 .


This case was selected because it provides informationabout effective waste recycling and safe final disposalof municipal solid waste at the municipal landfill.

Case Description

Earlier, dumping of waste at the riverside at KatuwaKhola had created problem for local residents andvisitors to the Ambikeshowori Temple, and MahendraHospital. Complaints from the local residents regardingwaste disposal were severe and the efforts of themunicipality to solve the problem were inadequate. Withthe vision of a safe and healthy municipal area,

Tribhuvannagar municipality has established a landfillat Karautidanda and has been using it for the disposalof its municipal waste since 2005 (Tribhuvannagarmunicipality, 2008 data). In this municipality, theEnvironmental and Community Development Section isresponsible for solid waste management. The mainfunctions carried out by this section are street sweeping,waste collection in domestic and commercial areas,cleaning of roadside drains, removal of dead animals,procurement and maintenance of waste managementvehicles, recruitment & training of waste managementstaff, public education, and waste handling training tolocal residents.

The main objectives in improving the waste managementsystem in this municipality are to ensure effectivecollection of solid waste from households, businessesand industrial areas, safe transporting of waste fromsource to landfill, separation of some types of wastefor recycling and reuse, and disposing of the residual -mostly organic - wastes safely in trenches.


According to the data provided by the municipality andthe field survey conducted in May 2008, the average percapita household waste generation rate is 0.25kg/person/day (Tribhuvannagar municipality, 2008 data) and thisdata is the same as the national average generation rateand lower than the generation rate of the capital

Name of the Programme: Solid Waste Management in TribhuvannagarLocation: South-western NepalDuration of the Project: 2005 onwardsBeneficiaries: Residents of Tribhuvannagar municipalityDonors and Partners: Government of Nepal, GTZ- UDLE (for post infrastructure for landfill site), UNDP-RUPP, TLOs, NGOsMunicipal Vision: Safe and healthy municipal area


10

13 TLO (Tole Lane Organisation) is community-based organizationestablished by UNDP and the Municipality. The area concerned may comprise only one or two streets.

14 Sharpened wire hook used for storing recovered plastics.

Chart 2: Composition of solid waste at source inTribhuvannagar municipality

Kathmandu - 0.39kg/capita/day (SWMRMC, 2008 data).The total waste generation is estimated to be 14 tons/day (Tribhuvannagar municipality, 2008 data).

Unofficial data show that most of the solid waste comesfrom households, and that 3 to 4 tons/day come fromcommercial and industrial premises (Tribhuvannagarmunicipality, 2008 data. The composition of solid wasteat source is paper 7.03 per cent, plastic & rubber 2.93per cent, organic 75.04 per cent, glass and ceramics2.00 per cent, metal 3.00 per cent and other materials10.00 per cent (Tribhuvannagar municipality, 2008data). One government hospital housing 50 beds issituated inside the municipal area. According to UN-HABITAT Nepal, the waste generation rate for hospitalwaste in Nepal is 1.72 kg/day/bed (UN-HABITAT, KMCdata, 2007) and therefore the estimated daily generationof hospital waste is 86 kg/day.

The solid wastemanagement system

After the implementation of the SWM programme,Tribhuvannagar municipality has been workingseriously towards effective waste collection andtransport, waste separation and landfilling operations.Waste is collected from various unofficial collectionpoints A total of 50 metal-framed plastic bins (capacity50 kg) which are placed in different parts of the city forregular collection. Such bins are also distributed tolocal TLOs13 for weekly collection. Residents put theirmixed waste out for collection in plastic bags and thandump it at various unofficial collection points or in thestorage bins. Eight handcarts that can each carry 50 kg

and two rickshaws that can each carry up to 500 kgare used for primary waste collection (Tribhuvannagarmunicipality, 2008 data).

Daily collection is provided for 50 per cent of the urbanpopulation, including the commercial areas. Wastecollectors from the municipality use a thick textile sheetto load the solid waste into the compactor truck. Onecompactor of capacity six tons and one tractor and trailerthat can carry two tons are used for waste collection indifferent sections of the city, taking the waste to the landfill(Tribhuvannagar municipality, 2008 data). (Thephotographs at the end of this section show the collectionand disposal system.) At the landfill site, municipallabourers separate the biodegradable waste and tip itinto trenches for composting. It is estimated that therecycling rate for domestic and commercial waste is 15-20 per cent (Tribhuvannagar municipality, 2008 data).

Compost from the landfill site is sold for NRs.300 per10cu.ft (280 litres) load. Plastic and rubber are sold forNRs.13/kg (Tribhuvannagar municipality, 2008 data).During the field survey, it was noted that theMunicipality was planning to launch a programme toencourage household composting and the use of Suiro14

hooks in order to encourage at-source segregation ofrecyclable wastes. A Suiro hook can be used to hold abunch of used plastic bags together before they arecollected for recycling. This is shown in the photos forthe section 2.1 concerning Bharatpur.

Final disposal

The landfill site used by Tribhuvannagar municipalityis owned by the municipal government and is located

11


on the western side of the municipality at a distanceof 5.4 km from the city centre. The total area of thelandfill site is 20 ha and the estimated life span of thelandfill is 50 years. Ten tons of wastes are depositedat this site each day (Tribhuvannagar municipality,2008 data). This means that 72 per cent of thegenerated waste was being disposed safely at thelandfill. The main features of the site that ensure safedisposal include a leachate15 collection tank, a verticalbarrier, gas vents, a waste sorting area, trenches forcomposting and a site office.

During the field visit neither animals, waste pickers noropen burning were observed at the landfill site. Residentsliving near the landfill site area were demanding basicinfrastructure services as compensation for the proximityof the landfill site. However, local people did not haveany complaint regarding the location of the landfill site,but rather, because of the lack of elected representatives;they were using the landfill site as an opportunity forrequesting infrastructure services. In order to maintainan attractive environment around the landfill site, 3,000trees (fruit trees and other varieties) have been plantedand 150 beehives installed (Tribhuvannagar municipality,2008 data). These improvements not only improve theenvironment, but also provide a source of income forthe municipality.

Special hospital waste is disposed by the hospital intrenches within its own compound (Tribhuvannagarmunicipality, 2008 data).


A total of thirty-four employees are engaged in solid wastecollection, transporting, sorting and landfilling operations(Tribhuvannagar municipality, 2008 data). This includesone administrator with nine employees at the landfill site.The revenue of this municipality derives from propertytax, municipal tax, licence fees, grants from thegovernment and foreign organisations, and user charges.In addition, the Town Development Fund (TDF) has providedloans for municipal infrastructure improvements in pastyears. The municipality has earned considerable incomefrom waste recycling and the sale of honey. Themunicipality sold honey worth NRs. 57,090. Plastic for

recycling sold for NRs.169,106, grass from the landfillsite was sold for NRs.14,100, and sales of firewood fromthe landfill site raised NRs.31,450 (Tribhuvannagarmunicipality, 2007 data). In addition, the municipalityplans to sell fruit grown on the site in future.

According to the municipality data, in the fiscal year2006-2007, the total income of this municipality wasNRs.10 million and the total expenditure onenvironmental development was NRs.2.5 million(Tribhuvannagar municipality, 2007 data). In comparisonwith other municipal expenditures, expenditure in thelast fiscal year on waste management was 25 per cent oftotal expenditure, which is a considerably higherproportion than is found in the other municipalities ofNepal. Therefore, total expenditure for environmentaldevelopment which includes SWM as well per personper year in the last fiscal year was NRs.183.

The municipality does not charge any user fee for thewaste collection service (Tribhuvannagar municipality,2008 data). The municipality has the vision to expandits collection system to all the urban wards and is planningto implement a HH waste management fee according tothe polluter pays concept. For this purpose, themunicipality is in discussions with TLOs; they have cometo an understanding to set the user charge at NRs.30 permonth from each HH, starting from the next fiscal year16

(Tribhuvannagar municipality, 2008 data). Themunicipality is waiting for the municipal Board17 toapprove the decision on waste collection charges.


Although the current system of waste management isconsidered effective, the municipality is facing problemsresulting from rapid urbanisation, the poor response fromcitizens to waste minimisation initiatives, the shortageof waste management staff (more staff are required forimproving the waste separation and recycling activities),financial limitations etc. In addition, the lack of authorityof the Community Development Section to make financialand administrative decisions and implement enforcementmeasures. Other obstacles include uncontrolled growthof squatter settlements, poor co-operation between thepublic and private sectors, and inadequate coordinationbetween stakeholders.

15 Liquid effluent from organic waste.16 New fiscal year starts from mid July in Nepal17 Each year during June-July municipality conducts municipal board meeting.


12

Conclusions

Technical measures, including waste sorting, recyclingand composting, and infrastructural measures forleachate collection and gas venting are all upgradingthe standard of waste management. Furthermore, theutilisation of resources, such as planting trees,introducing beehives, and other environmental measuresat the landfill site demonstrate a good approach formaintaining a healthy environment. Concern for financialviability (considering income from the sale of recyclablesand from the landfill site and the plan to collect usercharges), and long-term planning (as seen in the life ofthe landfill site) for waste management are importantindicators of sustainable SWM practice.

Technical and financial assistance from organisations suchas UNDP-RUPP and GTZ-UDLE have played a major role

Overall process

Collection

Transporting

Final disposal

Door-to-door Containers

At landfill site

Landfill

Waste sorting

Collection stations

Organic Inorganic

Selling of compost and otherreusable materials

Others

Transporting of waste bycompactor & tractor

in the strengthening of SWM planning. Similarly, theformation of the TLO with its motivating role in wastemanagement at local level has been driving this practicetowards sustainability. Therefore, it can be concluded thatthis is good practice, leading towards the fulfilment of themunicipal vision of a safe and clean municipal area.


The measures described reflect good practice in solidwaste management in developing countries. Thismunicipality is not only handling solid waste properly,but is also generating income from the landfill site andwaste recycling. This municipality is spending aconsiderable amount of its revenues for managing solidwaste in safe and healthy ways.

Contact details: Mr. Krishna Prasad Gautam / Mr Subodh Regmi, Environment and Community Development Section,Tribhuvannagar municipality

Partner contact: Tribhuvannagar municipality, Ghorahi , DangPhone: 082-560700, 082-560470 Ext. -36

13


Waste collection

Organic waste dumping and waste sorting at landfillsite

Waste unloading at landfill site

Leachate collection tank

Separated plastic ready for sale


Bee hives of landfilled site

Tree plantation at landfill site


14

Solid Waste Managementin Bharatpur


Introduction

Bharatpur municipality is regarded as a middle-sizedmunicipality and the commercial centre of Narayani Zonein the mid-southern area of Nepal. It is 146 km south-west of Kathmandu. It has 14 wards covering an area of162.16 km2 with 19,910 HHs in the year 2001. The totalpopulation in 2007 was estimated to be 134,803 and thepopulation density was 1433.58 per km2 (Bharatpurmunicipality, 2007 data). The population growth rate of7.1 per cent (CBS, 2001 data) is high as a result ofmigration because it is surrounded by fertile agriculturalland and because of its proximity to the Indian border.


This case is included because it provides informationabout private sector participation in municipal solidwaste management and about wastes recycling.

Case description

Before this project, municipality was struggling to providedoor-to-door collection, especially in the core areas ofBharatpur city, and to dispose of the waste in a sanitaryway. Mixed waste was dumped on the bank of NarayaniRiver. Without a proper plan and vision for wastemanagement, the municipality was not capable ofhandling the waste generated in the city area. Since 1999,Bharatpur municipality has initiated a public privatepartnership (PPP) in order to manage the solid waste. Asdiscussed in earlier cases, the Community DevelopmentSection for SWM is concerned with the cleaning of roadsidedrains and public toilets, the removal of dead animals,training employees involved in solid waste management,and public education (including the concepts to reduce,reuse and recycle [RRR]. A private contractor has beenengaged to provide door-to-door waste collection and tocollect waste from unofficial collection points in domestic,commercial and industrial areas.

Name of the Programme: Solid Waste Management in Bharatpur municipalityLocation: Mid-southern area of Nepal, south-west of the capital.Duration of the Project: 1999 onwardsBeneficiaries: Residents of the urban areaDonors and Partners: Private sector, Practical Action Nepal, Lumanti, UNDP-PPPUEMunicipal Vision: Solid waste management by public private partnership

2.1 Municipalities involving the privatesector in solid waste management

In this study, cases from Bharatpur municipality, Biratnagar municipality and Hetauda municipalities are includedas examples of private sector involvement for effective municipal waste management practice.

15


Waste from unofficial collection points is brought to officialtransfer stations which are located in two areas of themunicipality. After receiving complaints of bad odours frompeople in the main market area, the contractor is using thetransfer stations alternately, for 15 days at a time.

The main objective of the proposed waste managementsystem in this municipality is to maintain a clean andhealthy environment by involving the private sector.


According to the data provided by the municipality andthe field survey conducted in May 2008, the average HHwaste generation rate is 0.276 kg/capita/day, which isslightly higher than the national average of 0.25 kg/capita/day and lower than the rate for the Kathmandu valley,which is 0.39kg/capita/day (SWMRMC, 2008 data). Usingthis generation rate it is estimated that the total generationof waste in Bharatpur municipality is 37 tons. Themunicipality estimates that only 20 tons are beingcollected by the municipality each day, 6 tons/day beingof commercial origin and the remaining 14 tons/day beingHH waste (Bharatpur municipality, 2008 data). Therefore,only around 54 per cent of the generated waste was beingcollected and dumped by the municipality. The wastegeneration may be slightly lower than the estimatebecause most of the Bharatpur's population lives inrelatively rural and semi-urban areas.

Healthcare waste is supposed to be managed by thehospitals and nursing homes themselves by incinerationand dumping in trenches within the compound, but duringthe field visit it was observed that private nursing homeswere not serious about the management of infectioushealthcare waste. There are altogether three governmenthospitals and ten private nursing homes, providing atotal bed capacity of 1975 (Bharatpur municipality, 2008data). According to UN-HABITAT Nepal, the wastegeneration rate for hospital waste in Nepal is 1.7 kg/day/bed (UN-HABITAT, KMC data, 2007); on this basis itis estimated that about 3.3 tons of healthcare wastes aregenerated in this municipality each day.

The composition of municipal solid waste at source is foundto be paper 5 per cent, plastic & rubber 7 per cent, organicmaterials 70 per cent, glass and ceramic 1 per cent, metal2 per cent, wood 1 per cent, textiles 5 per cent, leather 1 per

cent and other miscellaneous materials 8 per cent (Bharatpurmunicipality, 2008 data), as shown in Chart 3 below.

Waste collection and recycling

Waste is collected from unofficial collecting points inalmost 70 per cent of the areas in the urban wards. Thecontractor is responsible for collecting waste fromvarious stations to dispose in the disposal site.Previously, metal containers were used for waste

storage, but the residents objected to them because ofthe bad odours it produced. Every day at 7.00 a.m.,the contractor starts the collection of waste from wards1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 (Bharatpur municipality, 2008 data).

In order to encourage waste reduction at source, HHcomposts and the segregation of plastic waste usingsuiro hooks for storage have been promoted in some ofthe wards. In Shaulibazar-10 area the local communityhas initiated segregation of waste at source forcomposting and vermicomposting (which usesworms?and the recovery of plastics. Similarly, in orderto collect waste from surroundings, residents ofShantinagar-7 area have installed small waste bins;especially for inorganic waste, in peripheral areas.

With the partial support from Lumanti18 , PracticalAction Nepal and local NGOs, a 40 m3 biogas plant isunder construction in ward no.5 of Bharatpur. Thereare 180 low-income residents in this area. The inputfor the plant will include wastewater from 18 low-income HHs (Bharatpur municipality, 2008 data).

Chart 3: Composition of solid waste at source ,Bharatpur municipality

18 An NGO especially working for the welfare of slums and squatter communities.


16

In Bharatpur, it is estimated that 15 per cent ofmunicipal solid waste is recycled and that almost 50per cent of the domestic waste and 25 per cent ofinstitutional waste is collected at source each day(Bharatpur municipality, 2008 data). In order toencourage HH segregation and waste minimisation,Practical Action Nepal has been distributing compostbins19 and suiro hooks to the residents of various wardsof Bharatpur.

A total of 530 compost bins (capacity 50 kg), 550 plasticbuckets (capacity 10 kg) and 1200 suiro hooks havebeen distributed by Practical Action throughoutBharatpur municipality (Practical Action, Bharatpur,2008 data. The municipality is also selling compostbins for NRs.700 and suiro hooks for NRs.10(Bharatpur municipality, 2008 data). Compost is soldfor NRs.15/kg (Bharatpur municipality, 2008 data).Local itinerant waste buyers buy plastics for NRs.10/kg (Bharatpur municipality, 2008 data), paper forNRs.12-13, glass for NRs.2 and ferrous material forNRs.37/kg ( Bharatpur municipality,2008 data).

Transport and the final disposal

Since 2006, Bharatpur municipality has been dumpingall of its waste at the Ramnagar dumping site, which is11km from the city and 4.5 km east of Ramnagar Bazaararea. One loader, 25 one wheeled barrows that can carry50 kg, 15 tricycles of capacity 300-500 kg, and two tractorswith trailers that can carry 2 tons each are used by thecontractor for waste collection and dumping (BharatpurMunicipality, 2008 data). Municipal records show thatevery day 15 tons of waste are dumped at the dumpingsite and that the site is expected to be used for another 5years (Bharatpur municipality, 2008 data). During thefield visit it was observed that the waste was burning andthat dead animals had been dumped there. However nowaste pickers were observed. The municipality hassometimes sprayed pesticides after dumping the waste inan attempt to minimise health risks.


The contractor, Mr. Shayam Kumar Shrestha, employsa staff of 53 for waste collection, transportation and

disposal operations (Bharatpur municipality, 2008data). The daily operation and management system issupported by one officer from the municipality, withtwo supervisors, two drivers, ten helpers, and onecleaning assistant (Bharatpur municipality, 2008 data).

The income of this municipality is derived from varioussources, including property tax, municipal tax, licencefees, grants from the government, grants from foreignorganisations, and user charges. The Town DevelopmentFund (TDF) has provided loans for municipalinfrastructure improvement in past years. The UNDP-PPPUE programme has chosen this case for their PPPUEresearch because Bharatpur is one of the most rapidlygrowing urban areas of Nepal. The business activitiesand its location are also factors that favoured its selection.

In comparison with other municipal expenditures,municipal expenditure on waste management was 5per cent in the fiscal year 2006-2007(Bharatpurmunicipality, 2007 data). For the solid wastemanagement service, the municipality is contracted topay NRs.4.6 million each year to the contractor(Bharatpur municipality, 2007 data). In the fiscal year2006-2007 the total municipal expenditure was almostNRs.96 million (Bharatpur municipality, 2007 data).Total municipal expenditure per person for the year wasNRs.710.33. During the field visit, it was noted that thecontractor does not collect any fee for waste collectionfrom the residents. However, local TLOs20 have agreedto pay NRs.50 and NRs.100 per month respectively forresidential and commercial premises to improve thecollection and disposal of waste (Bharatpurmunicipality, 2008 data). With this in mind, themunicipality is planning to approve the decision fromthe municipal board on waste collection charges.


Despite its effective system of private sector partnershipfor waste collection, the municipality is facing theproblems of rapid urbanisation, the poor response ofresidents to calls for waste minimisation, a shortage ofwaste management staff and financial limitations. Otherdifficulties include the lack of authority to makefinancial and administrative decisions, the lack of trainedpersonnel, the lack of standardised vehicles and frequentbreakdowns of vehicles, the need for enforcement

19 Capacity 50 kilograms20 In many urban areas of Nepal, Tole Lane Organizations have played a significant role in motivating local people.

17


measures, uncontrolled squatter settlements, poor co-operation from the public as well as the private sectorand inadequate stakeholder coordination. In addition,the transfer station at the main road of Bharatpur iscausing problems for the local people.

Conclusions

This municipality is located on the trade route betweenmajor urban centres such as Birgunj, Nepalgunj,Kathmandu and Pokhara. Considerable numbers ofprivate industries are located around Bharatpur. Themunicipality's mechanism for coordinating the publicand private sectors has played a vital role in wastemanagement. However, the daily monitoring of wastemanagement by the Community Development Sectionhas not been sufficient.

Effective involvement of both private and public sectorshas made it possible to improve waste management andprovide door-to-door collection. The role of the privatesector in recycling is important and it can contribute tosustainable waste management by reducing the

quantities of plastics. Furthermore, Practical Action Nepal,UNDP-PPPUE, UDLE and Lumanti have together playeda significant role by motivating private sector operatorsto get involved not only in waste collection and disposalbut also in recycling, thereby creating a significantnumber of jobs and benefits.

Lastly, sound financial management and regular andreliable payment of the contractor are important forsatisfactory private sector participation. The Municipalityhas achieved its target of waste management with activeinvolvement of the private sector, minimising municipalexpenditure by means of effective management practice.


Both for waste management and in recycling activities,considerable numbers of private organisations areexpressing their interest. It is believed that significantnumbers of jobs can be created for poor people andincreased effectiveness in waste management can beachieved with minimal additional municipal expenditure.

Contact details: Mr. Prem Raj Joshi, Mr. Narayan Laudari, Bharatpur Municipality, Chitwan, NepalPartner contact: Bharatpur Municipality , Nepal

Phone: 0097756-521467, -522946, -520167,-525771Email: [email protected], www.bharatpurmun.org.np

Overview of the solid waste management system


Transportation

Final disposal

Door-to-door collection From collection points


Dumping of waste

Transfer station


18

Waste collection

Compost Bin

Vermicomposting at Shaulibazar- 10

Use of community bins at Shantinagar -7

Biogas plant partially supported by Practical Action


Transporting waste to the dumping site

Dumping of waste

19


Solid Waste Managementin Biratnagar


Introduction

Being the second largest city in Nepal, Biratnagar is a majorindustrial hub of the country. It is located near the Indianborder in the south-east and is 490 km from the capital,Kathmandu. Covering a total area of 58.48 km2, BiratnagarSub-Metropolitan City21 (BSMC) has 22 wards (BSMC, 2008data). In 2001 the total number of HHs in this sub-metropolitan city was 33,678 and the population was166,674 (CBS, 2001). The population growth rate of thissub-metropolitan city is 3.36 per cent per year and thepopulation density is 2850.1 persons per km2 (CBS, 2001).The projected population for the year 2008 is 205,876.


This case is included in this study because it is the firstmunicipality to involve the private sector in solid wastemanagement. The citizens are familiar with privatesector provision of sustainable waste managementservices in their city.

Case description

The situation was much worse before recentinterventions. Garbage was left in the open in the public

places of Biratnagar. The municipality was not able toprovide neither a door-to-door collection service nor asanitary disposal of solid wastes. Because of thestrength of the local business sector, the municipalityhad proposed that waste management services shouldbe provided by the private sector. This concept wasintroduced in 1997-98, and Biratnagar became the firstmunicipality in Nepal to introduce this kind ofpartnership approach for solid waste management.

Because of the unstable political situation and the lackof clear government policy, the partnership with thefirst contractor to be engaged - Americorp - ran intodifficulties (GHK Working Paper, 2001). Subsequently,a contract with another contractor - Silt - was signed,and this contract was operational until 2007. Siltestablished an effective partnership environment withthe city in which a satisfactory service was provided.In addition the partnership paved the way for theintroduction of waste management charges for HHs,shops and other businesses.

Now Samajik Sudhar Tatha Batabaraniya Bikas Manch(a private company) has taken over the contract forproviding services that include door-to-door wastecollection, transport and dumping. Local people andpoliticians have appreciated the work of the privatesector in waste management; however they are dubious

21 Sub-metropolitan cities have populations more than 100,000 and annual revenues of at least NRs.20 million.

Name of the Programme: Solid Waste Management in BiratnagarLocation: South-eastern Nepal, near to the Indian borderDuration of the Project: 1997 onwardsBeneficiaries: Residents of the sub-metropolitan cityDonors and Partners: Private sector, NGOs, CBOs, UNDPMunicipal Vision: Building municipal capacity in waste management by private sector involvement


20

about the role of government in policy formulationbecause, since 1998, local administration has beenconducted without elected representatives. Thissituation has added to the problems of implementingthe Local Self Governance Act, 1999.

In this sub-metropolitan city, the Environment Sectionhas overall responsibility for waste management. Themain functions carried out by this section are, streetsweeping, roadside drain cleaning, removal of deadanimals, procurement and maintenance of wastemanagement vehicles, recruitment & training of wastemanagement staff, and public education, includingproviding training to local residents. The contractor isresponsible for HH collection, transportion and dumpingof solid waste.

The main objectives of the waste management systemare to ensure effective collection, transport and sanitarydisposal of solid waste from HHs, businesses andindustrial areas.


According to the most recent data provided by BSMC,and the field survey conducted in May 2008, the averageHH waste generation rate is 0.33kg/person/day (BSMC,2008 data), which is more than the national average of0.25kg/capita/day and lower than the rate forKathmandu Valley, which is 0.39kg/capita/day(SWMRMC, 2008 data).

The daily waste generation of Biratnagar Sub-Metropolitan City is 55 tons/day (BSMC, 2008 data).Approximate data indicates that 15 tons/day of wastearise as a result of various business and commercialactivities, and the remaining 40 tons/day is HH waste(BSMC, 2008 data). The composition of waste at sourcewas found to be paper 6.4 per cent, plastic and rubber8.8 per cent, organic materials 75.6 per cent, metal 0.2per cent, textiles 1.9 per cent, leather and other materials7.1 per cent (BSMC, 2008 data).

The total number of hospital beds (in both governmentand private establishments) in the city is 1,000 (BSMC,2008 data). According to UN-HABITAT Nepal, thegeneration rate for hospital waste in Nepal is 1.72 kg/day/bed (UN-HABITAT, KMC data, 2007). Therefore, it isestimated that the generation rate for healthcare wastein BSMC is 1.8 tons/day.


Waste is collected from designated open collecting pointsin almost 95 per cent of the urban area. The contractoris responsible for the collection, transportion anddumping of solid waste. Each morning, starting ataround 7.00 a.m., waste is collected door-to-door usingtricycles that can carry 300-500 kg. Previously, plasticcontainers were used by the Silt Service Management,but local people rejected these containers because ofthe continuous bad odour that they omitted (becausewaste was being deposited into them at any time of theday and some of the waste was decomposing in thecontainers for nearly 24 hours before the containerswere emptied). In order to encourage wasteminimisation and waste reduction at source, themunicipality is planning to launch HH composting andthe use of suiro hooks for recovering plastic. Amunicipality source verified that waste managementin the industrial area is the responsibility of thefactories themselves.

One model compost plant with a capacity of 4 tons/dayof organic waste is operating in Ward no. 1 (BSMC,2008 data). It is estimated that 30 per cent of bothdomestic and commercial waste is recycled each day(BSMC, 2008 data). The compost is sold for NRs.10 perkg and plastic for NRs.6 per kg. The prices paid per kgfor other recovered materials are: metal NRs.35, paperNRs.12, plastic NRs.6 and glass NRs.2 (BSMC, 2008data). As BSMC is on the border with India, the recyclingbusiness is flourishing.

Chart 4: Composition of Solid Waste generationat source, Biratnagar Sub Metropolitan city

21


Transporting and final disposal

BSMC is dumping its waste at three different sites.Two leased sites which are allocated by BSMC are 6km from the main market. According to BSMC, theestimated remaining life span of both of these opensites is two years. The third area is on the bank ofSinge Khola, at a distance of 4 km from the mainmarket area. The contractor is filling a section of theriver bank with waste; a municipality sourcementioned that they had not calculated the remaininglifespan of this site. They also mentioned that they arediscouraging riverside dumping after the end of 2007.During the field visit, the contractor was seen dumpingfilling material (ash) at the Singe Khola site in orderto avoid pollution risks.

Two tippers, each with a capacity of 3 tons, six tractorswith trailers that can carry 2 tons each, one excavator,one power tiller , 25 rickshaws, each capable of carrying300-500 kg and three handcarts with a capacity of 50kg are used for waste collection and dumping(BSMC,2008 data). It is estimated that total of 50 tonsof mixed waste is dumped every day. Rough data fromthe municipality show that waste generation fromresidential areas is only 30 tons/day.

Using the growth rate provided by CBS Nepal, theprojected population of BSMC for the year 2008 is205,876. Multiplying this by the per capita generationrate of 0.33 kg/capita/day gives the result of 68 tonsfor the daily generation of waste. Hence, 74 per cent ofthe waste that is generated is being collected anddisposed. During the field visit, there were no signs ofopen burning, waste pickers, or scavenging animals atthe dumping sites. It was observed that special orhazardous wastes were mixed with municipal solidwastes at various collection stations and that themunicipality and contractor are facing problems causedby hazardous wastes.


One engineer, one public health inspector, four technicalassistants, five supervisors, five drivers and seventy-nine manual workers are working in solid wastemanagement (BSMC, 2008 data). According toapproximate data from BSMC, 50 employees of the

contractor, Samajik Sudhar tatha Batabaraniya BikasManch are involved in door-to-door collection. TheMunicipality spent NRs.9.56 million in the 2006-2007fiscal year for solid waste management (BSMC, 2007data). The contractor charges NRs.30 to NRs.1,500 perpremises according to the service provided.

Approximate data shows that the contractor wascollecting approximately NRs.100,000 per month fromvarious service beneficiaries, including both residentialand commercial premises. During the BSMC-Siltcontract, Silt collected annual fees totalling NRs.1.0million from the door-to-door collection service(SWMRMC, 2006 data). According to BSMC data, thetotal expenditure of the sub-metropolitan city in thelast fiscal year was NRs.132 million (BSMC, 2007 data).BSMC expenditure per capita for that year wasNRs.641.00. It is calculated that BSMC expenditure onwaste management was 7.3 per cent of total expenditurein the last fiscal year.


Despite its effective system of partnership for wastemanagement, the municipality is facing problems ofincreasing population, a poor response of the citizenstowards waste minimisation, staff shortages, financialconstraints etc. Obstacles that add to these problemsare: the lack of authority to make financial andadministrative decisions, a shortage of trainedpersonnel, the lack of a standardised vehicle fleet andfrequent breakdowns, a lack of enforcement measures,uncontrolled squatter settlements, poor cooperationbetween public and private sectors, and inadequatestakeholder coordination.

There is an urgent need for a landfill site for sanitarydisposal of solid waste. The present arrangements maycause serious water pollution because the contractoris dumping waste on a river bank and the other twoopen dumping sites are also not safe for dumping. Themunicipality should take proper action in order tocontrol haphazard dumping of infectious waste fromvarious private nursing homes. Nevertheless, themunicipality has achieved its goal of buildingmunicipal capacity in municipal solid wastemanagement. It has also considerably reducedmunicipal expenditure after implementing the measuresthat have been described.


22

Conclusions and lesson learnt

It can be concluded that the involvement of the privatesector can contribute to effective waste handling anddoor-to-door collection. Programmes supported byINGOs such as UNDP-PPPUE/RUPP have played asignificant role in the implementation of the model ofpartnership between the private sector and localgovernment. The partnership between BSMC and thecontractor Silt had previously made useful progressby introducing waste collection charges, and byimproving coordination with stakeholders. Improvedcustomer satisfaction and acceptance of service chargeshave been important steps towards sustainability. The

Contact details: : Mr. Yangya Prasad Bhattarai, Ms. Pramila, Nepal Biratnagar Sub-Metropolitan City, Koshi Zone, Biratnagar, NepalPartner contact: Biratnagar Sub-Metropolitan City, NepalPhone: O21-523308,021-526637,021-525452,021-526388

Email: [email protected]

setting of service charges for different categories of userhas been a notable achievement by BSMC which couldusefully be adopted by other municipalities in Nepal.

Replicable best practice

This case shows that a significant number of jobs canbe created for poor people and that the effectiveness ofwaste management services can be improved withminimal municipal expenditure by a well structuredpartnership with the private sector. For such partnershipsto be effective, the municipality should be able to attractand motivate private sector partners.

Overall process(The service is provided by a contractor approved by the municipal board.)


Transportation

Final disposal

Door-to-door collection From Collection points


Dumping of waste (on riverbank and open land)

23


Street sweeping and waste collection at various locations

Covering the waste with ash to sanitise the dumping site

Dumping of waste on the river bank of Singe Khola

Street sweeping and waste collection at various locations


24

Solid Waste Managementin Hetauda


Introduction

Hetauda is a mid-sized municipality with an area of 47.77km2. It is located in mid-south of Nepal, 225 km fromKathmandu. It is divided into 11 wards. According tomunicipality data (CBS, 2001), the population was 68,482in 2001, living in 14,271 HHs, and the growth rate was4.5 per cent. Based on these data the projected populationfor the year 2008 is 90,054. In 2001 the population densitywas estimated to be 1433.58 per km2 (CBS, 2001).


This case has been selected because it provides informationabout effective waste collection and at-source segregation.

Case description

In previous years, when there was no proper wastecollection system, the municipality used to receivecomplaints from residents about inadequate wastecollection and dirty streets. Haphazard dumping waspractised throughout the area of Sukumbashi22 Tole. Afterthe implementation of the solid waste managementprogramme, the Community Development Section wasmade responsible for solid waste management. Twoprivate organisations23 were engaged for waste

management services. 'Clean Nepal' is working in Wards3, 4, 10 and parts of Wards 1 and 11, serving a total of2,000 HHs (Hetauda municipality, 2008 data).Simultaneously, `Samajik Sarokar Manch` is workingin Wards 2, and 5, in the city area and in part of Wardno.1, serving a total of 900 HHs (Hetauda municipality,2008 data).

The main responsibilities of the Community DevelopmentSection are street sweeping, roadside drain cleaning,removal of dead animals, procurement and maintenanceof waste management vehicles, recruitment & training ofwaste management staff, public education and promotionof recycling. The Community Development Section isactively engaged in waste minimisation and segregationprogrammes. It has distributed 400 compost bins with acapacity of 50 kg and 500 suiro hooks for separatingorganic and inorganic waste (Hetauda municipality, 2008data). The municipality is distributing suiro hooks andcompost bins with financial assistance from UN-HABITATand UDLE-GTZ Nepal. One district hospital with 50 bedsis situated within the municipality (Hetauda municipality,2008 data).

The main objective of the waste management system inHetauda municipality is to ensure effective collectionof solid waste from HHs, businesses and industrialareas, and safe transport of solid waste from source todumping site.

Name of the Programme: Solid Waste Management in HetaudaLocation: Mid-southern NepalDuration of the Project: 2002 onwardsBeneficiaries: Residents of Hetauda municipalityDonors and Partners: UDLE-GTZ, UNDP, UEIP, UN-Habitat, NGOs, CBOs,Municipal Vision: Clean and healthy Hetauda city through partnership with the private sector.

22 Sukumbashis are squatters or internally displaced persons living in public land.23 Municipal employees have permanent status whilst the employment status of the staff of private organisations is usually temporary.

25


Chart 5: Composition of solid waste at source,Hetauda municipality

Waste generation and composition:

According to the data provided by the municipality andthe field survey conducted in May 2008, the averageHH waste generation rate in this municipality is 0.25kg/person/day (Hetauda municipality, 2008 data). Thisrate is same as the national generation rate and it islower than the waste generation rate of the capitalKathmandu, which is 0.39 kg/person/day(SWMRMC,2008 data). The daily waste generation ofHetauda municipality is 14 tons (Hetauda municipality,2008 data).

The composition of waste at source was found to be: paper12.72 per cent, plastic & rubber 9.45 per cent, organicwaste 68.53 per cent, glass and ceramics 2.28 per cent,wood 0.52 per cent, textiles 1.63 per cent, leather 1.00 percent and other materials 3.87 per cent (Hetaudamunicipality, 2008). In order to reduce the amount of plasticmaterial in the waste, the municipality is encouragingthe use of durable textile bags instead of plastic bags.

According to UN-HABITAT Nepal, the generation ratefor hospital waste in Nepal is 1.72 kg/day/bed (UN-HABITAT, KMC data, 2007). Therefore, it is estimatedthat Hetauda municipality generates 86 kg of hospitalwaste each day.


Contractors are responsible for the collection (fromvarious unofficial collection points), transportion anddumping of waste. Door-to-door collection from

residential and commercial areas is done using tricyclesthat can carry 300 to 500 kg, operating in the morningfrom 6.00 to 9.00 a.m. and from 1.00 to 5.00 p.m. inthe afternoon (Hetauda municipality, 2008 data).Previously, metal containers had been used in order toimprove the efficiency of the collection operation.However, the local people rejected this method of storagebecause of the unpleasant smell coming from thecontainers and the scattering of waste around thecontainer by animals. In order to encourage wastereduction at source, community-based compostingfacilities of 500kg capacity and suiro hooks for plasticsegregation have been promoted in Hetaudamunicipality.

The municipality is actively promoting recycling andcomposting at the HH level. It has distributedcomposting bins to 400 HHs and also providedregular training (Hetauda municipality, 2008 data).A few years ago, Hetauda municipality banned theuse of plastic bags within the city premise. Afterexperiencing difficulties from the residents24 andbecause of the complete ban on plastic bags, the cityhas adopted the strategy of promoting reduction andrecycling of plastic bags. Hetauda municipality hasdistributed wire Suiro hooks for segregating plasticwaste. Hetauda municipality encourages the recoveryof plastic by providing training at ward level by wasteinspectors25 and it also buys plastic at NRs.6 per kg(Hetauda municipality, 2008 data). Local TLOs likeNavajiwan Jyoti Club have been promoting plasticseparation from the beginning of the wastemanagement programme. In order to encouragecitizens to recycle on World Environment Day 2008,prizes worth NRs.1000 and certificates of appreciationwere awarded by Hetauda municipality to HHs thatmade a big contribution towards recycling (Hetaudamunicipality, 2008 data).

It is estimated that total of 15 per cent of both domesticand commercial waste is recycled by composting andat-source segregation, and that almost 60 per cent ofdomestic and 25 per cent of institutional waste arecollected by the municipality each day (Hetaudamunicipality data, 2008 data). However, solid wastefrom the Hetauda industrial area is managed by thecompanies themselves. During the field visit, no datawere provided about the waste generation of the Hetaudaindustrial area. After composting, local people sell their

24 Difficulty in getting shopping bags25 One waste inspector is allocated for each ward


26

product for NRs. 20 per kg to the local nurseries, andsome of them use it themselves for agricultural andgardening purposes. Local dealers buy paper, plasticand glass for NRs.12, NRs.6, and NRs.2 per kgrespectively (Hetauda municipality, 2008 data).

Transportation and final disposal

Hetauda municipality dumps its waste on the bank ofthe Rapti River. The site is 1.5 km south of the east-west highway. The waste collection fleet comprises twotipper trucks of capacity 3 tons, two tractors pullingtrailers that can each hold 2 tons, three rickshaws ofcapacity 300-500 kg, three handcarts that can carry upto 100 kg, and 30 one-wheel barrows of capacity 50kg. One suction tanker is also available (Hetaudamunicipality, 2008 data). Almost 12 tons of waste isdumped at the dumping site daily and it is planned touse this site for the next 10 years (Hetauda municipality,2008 data). Calculating with the projected populationof 90,054, the daily waste generation of the municipalityis estimated to be 22 tons. This means that 55 per centof the generated waste is dumped and 15 per cent ofwaste is being recycled. During the field visit there wereno waste pickers or animals at the Rapti river bankdumping site and no open burning was observed (thissite is owned by the government of Nepal.) Infectioushospital waste is disposed of in trenches by the hospital.


In total, sixty-six people are employed by the privateorganisations for the collection, transportation anddumping of solid wastes. In addition, the municipalityhas 39 staff to support, monitor and supervise the work(Hetauda municipality, 2007 data). The municipalitystaff are also responsible for sweeping approximately8 km of streets on a daily basis.

The income of this municipality is derived from propertytax, municipal tax, licence fees, grants from thegovernment and foreign organisations, and usercharges. During the field visit, it was noted that servicecharges have been imposed for waste collection. Thischarge is NRs.30 per month for HHs, NRs.50 per month

for schools, NRs.100 per month for business premisesand NRs.200 per month for hotels (Hetaudamunicipality, 2007 data). These charges were fixed bythe municipality in coordination with the leaders ofTLOs, representatives from users' groups, the contractorand representatives from the district chamber ofcommerce.

Municipal expenditure on waste management was 5per cent of the total yearly budget in the fiscal year2006-2007 (Hetauda municipality, 2007 data).According to the municipality, the total municipalexpenditure of Hetauda in that fiscal year was almostNRs.80 million (Hetauda municipality, 2007 data).Therefore, the annual per capita expenditure of themunicipality was NRs.884.


Although the partnership with the private sector hasproved effective, the municipality is facing problemsrelated to rapid urbanisation and because of politicaldisturbance in the tarai areas, staff shortages, financialconstraints etc. Other obstacles include the lack ofauthority of the Community Development Section tomake financial and administrative decisions, the lackof trained personnel, the lack of standardised vehiclesand the frequent breakdown of vehicles, inadequateenforcement measures, uncontrolled squattersettlements, poor cooperation between the public andprivate sectors, and inadequate stakeholdercoordination.

There is an urgent need for a landfill site for sanitarydisposal of waste. The current arrangements may createwater pollution because they are dumping their wastebeside a river. Furthermore, the dumping sites may notonly cause serious disruption for the wildlife of ChitwanNational Park26 but also impact on the tourism industryof that region. The Community Development Sectiondoes not have enough authority to allocate municipalresources for the improvements that are essential forsolid waste management of the area.

Nevertheless, the municipality has definitely achievedits goal of a clean and healthy Hetauda city by meansof its partnership with the private sector.

26 Chitwan National Park is the major tourist destination of Nepal, and is only 30 km south-west of Hetauda municipality

27



The approaches used by Hetauda municipality, CBOsand NGOs for mobilising the community to reduce wastequantities form the major lesson that can be learnt fromthis case. These approaches have benefited from theeffective involvement of a considerable number of civilsociety organisations, such as the Navajiwan Jyoti club.Conditions have been established that encourage at-source segregation, waste sorting, the trading ofrecyclables, and the use of compost bins and suirohooks. In addition, the involvement of organisationslike GTZ-UDLE, UNDP, UEIP, and UN-Habitat has playeda vital motivational role. The municipality has been

Contact details: Dhruba Bhujel, Bhairab Bdr. Kumal Hetauda municipality, HetaudaPartner contact: Hetauda municipality, Hetauda

Phone: 057-20433, 057-20377, 057-23045Email: [email protected]

Overall process(The service is provided by a contractor approved by the municipal board.)


Transportation

Final disposal



Dumping of wasteon river bank

able to support civil society's involvement in promotingwaste reduction at source.


Approaches from private organisations and TLOscould play a significant role in developing at-sourcesegregation of solid waste. The suiro programmeplays a major role in promoting the recovery of plasticwaste. Ultimately, this case demonstrates thatpartnerships for training and community mobilisationare effective tools for developing sustainable wastemanagement.


28


Transporting waste on the dumping site

Waste collection

Dumping of waste on riverbank

Dumping waste beside the river


Waste collection and cleaning of drains

Hetauda city area

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2.2 Cases of NGO involvementin solid waste management

In this section, individual cases show how various NGOs are making significant contributions in door-to-doorcollection, and in the reduction and recycling of organic and inorganic wastes.

NEPCEMAC involvementin door-to-door waste collection


Introduction

Nepal Pollution Control and Environment ManagementCentre (NEPCEMAC) established in 1997 is a non-profitindependent organisation. It has been working in solidwaste management with various communities of Nepal.Aware of the impacts of rapid urbanisation, NEPCEMACis working in areas of Kathmandu metropolitan city,Lalitpur sub-metropolitan city, Biratnagar sub-metropolitan city, Itahari municipality and Triyugamunicipality. In this study, the case of Lalitpur sub-metropolitan city is considered (NEPCEMAC, 2008).


This case was selected because it discusses the NGO'sefforts in door-to-door solid waste collection.NEPCEMAC runs this service on a financially viablebasis, which is important for sustainability.

Case description

Lalitpur sub-metropolitan city (LSMC) is south ofKathmandu and is the third largest city in Nepal. This

Name of the Programme: NEPCEMAC for door-to-door collectionLocation: Wards No.3, 4, 5 and13, Lalitpur sub-metropolitan cityDuration of the Project: 1997 onwardsBeneficiaries: Residents in selected wards of Kathmandu, lalitpur, Biratnagar, Itahari, and TriyugaDonors and Partners: MunicipalitiesMunicipal Vision: Waste collection, recycling, proper handling and a clean urban environment

municipality comprises 22 wards and covers an areaof 15.47 km2. The population in 2001 was 162,991,34,996 HHs (CBS, 2001). The population growth ratefor this municipality is 3.5 per cent per year (CBS, 2001).

NEPCEMAC started its project in Kusunti area with asmall team. Its area of operation in the beginning waslimited to only fifty HHs. At that time government policyfor solid waste management was not clear in a numberof areas, for policy issues such as private sectorparticipation, service charges, coverage area, and wastemanagement techniques. HHs in LSMC was facingproblems of waste collection and disposal. Since itsestablishment in 1997, NEPCEMAC has been involved insolid waste management (collection, source reduction,recycling and reuse) in various communities of Nepal.Similarly, other NGOs in Kathmandu metropolitan city,LSMC, Bharatpur, Biratnagar have also been workingin waste management according to the UNDP's PublicPrivate Partnership in Urban Environment (PPPUE)concept.

The main objectives of NEPCEMAC are: to encourage peopleto participate actively in waste management, to providetraining on various methods of composting, to generateemployment by extending waste management coverage,


30

to coordinate with governmental organisations, NGOs andINGOs for effective management and partnership, and toextend an effective door-to-door solid waste collectionservice to different urban centres in Nepal. To ignite thisprocess, NEPCEMAC started with an area cleanlinesscampaign, in which they involved all the residents in anarea, to come together and clean their surroundings.


According to the data provided by NEPCEMAC and thefield surveys conducted in June 2008, the average HHwaste generation rate in LSMC area is 0.37kg/capita/day (NEPCEMAC, 2008 data). This rate is higher than thenational average of 0.25kg/capita/day and less than therate for Kathmandu metropolitan, which is 0.39kg/capita/day (SWMRMC, 2008 data). The composition of the wastehas been found to be: 72.09 per cent organic waste, 6.35per cent paper, 8.36 per cent plastic, 1.63 per cent metal,2.00 per cent glass, 0.25 per cent rubber, and 9.33 percent other materials (NEPCEMAC, 2008 data).


The NEPCEMAC programme has expanded its door-to-door waste collection into other areas of Lalitpur. Now,the working area of NEPCEMAC covers 13,000 HHs -all of Wards no. 3, 4, 5 and 13 and parts of Wards 2,14, 19 and 20 of Lalitpur sub-metropolitan city areaand Wards no. 2, 3, 4, 5, 15 and 16 of Kathmandumetropolitan city (NEPCEMAC, 2008 data). It has slowlyextended its operational area to other urban centres ofthe country. NEPCEMAC is collecting HH waste fromdoor to door between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. each morning.The NGO has promoted HH composting. All non-

recyclable waste is dumped at locations designated bythe respective municipality27 .

Transport and final disposal

There are different means of final disposal, accordingto the provisions made by the respective municipalities.In the case of LSMC, NEPCEMAC unloads some of thewaste it collects into containers (capacity 6 tons) andalso at the Bagmati river bank dumpsite (allocated byLSMC). In Kathmandu metropolitan city, NEPCEMACtransports waste using its own vehicles (two tippertrucks of 4 tons capacity) to the Sisdol landfill site.NEPCEMAC has become one of the major NGOs workingin solid waste collection, composting and haulage.


According to the data provided by NEPCEMAC, it employs174 staff - 21non-technical, 52 technical and 101 general- as regular full-time staff, and 100 daily-wagedlabourers (NEPCEMAC, 2007 data). The income of thisorganisation is derived from waste collection charges,and sales of compost etc. In 2007, the income ofNEPCEMAC was NRs.20 million (NEPCEMAC, 2007 data).

Waste collection charges are NRs.125 per house andNRs.50 to NRs.75 per shop (NEPCEMAC, 2007 data).The expenditure of this organisation is approximatelythe same as the income, according to a NEPCEMACsource, so they have achieved breakeven status asfar as operational costs are concerned. It is one ofthe largest NGOs working in waste management inNepal. This NGO is not only improving its wastemanagement system, but is also creating many jobsfor poor urban citizens.


Despite its effective door-to-door waste collectionservice, NEPCEMAC is facing a poor response to itscalls for citizens to minimise the amount of waste thatthey discard. It has distributed red and green bins (eachwith a capacity of 10 kilograms) for waste segregationat source to 1000 HHs but waste collectors from

27 Regarding LSMC case, it has provided containers of capacity 7 tons in working areas ofNEPCEMAC

Chart 6: Composition of solid waste of Lalitpur

31


NEPCEMAC have observed that only mixed waste isput out for collection by these HHs.

Other problems include the shortage of labour,financial limitations and a lack of vehicles. Additionalobstacles are the poor institutional set-up ofgovernment organisations and the lack of a clear policyfor encouraging private sector participation. In orderto minimise the generation of organic waste from thecentral zoo complex at Jawalakhel, a composting plantof capacity 1ton/day has been implemented(NEPCEMAC, 2008 data). Similarly, there arecomposting and vermicomposting facilities atHandigaun and at NEPCEMAC's central office atSatdobato.

This NGO is conducting periodic educational campaignsand awareness programmes in various schools andcommunities. They have established a scheme for thecollection and safe disposal of dog carcases - a personbringing in a dog that has died because of an accidentor from other cause is paid NRs.50 by the NGO as anincentive (NEPCEMAC, 2008 data). NEPCEMAC hasestablished a paper recycling plant at the SiddarthaVanasthali Institute area of Kathmandu (NEPCEMAC,2008 data). They are also raising awareness bycomposing songs that promote good waste-relatedbehaviour, every Friday from radio station - Metro FM94.6 MHZ. NEPCEMAC has also invested in theproduction of a television serial 'Sabhyat'. NEPCEMAC

has definitely achieved its goal regarding effective wastecollection and recycling.

Conclusions and lessons learnt

Information from various sources backs up observationsmade during a field visit that this NGO encourages properwaste management - composting, vermicomposting,recycling etc. It is also creating jobs (more than 255 inLSMC) for low-income groups of the society. NEPCEMAChas received support from local residents who arewilling to pay for door-to-door collection for solid waste.NEPCEMAC claims to have worked with the governmentto define and develop the role of the private sector rolein urban solid waste management. Its practical approachand the self-financing nature of the operation areimportant targets for other NGOs to aim at. NEPCEMAChas become one of the best examples of an NGO workingin urban solid waste management.


NEPCEMAC has made an inspiring contribution to wastemanagement in several urban areas of Nepal. Its awarenesscampaigns for HHs and schools are impressive. Similarly,waste collectors from NEPCEMAC are encouraged to recyclewaste because they are officially allowed to keep anyincome they receive from the sale of recyclables.

Overall process (Lalitpur case)

Street sweepingand door-to-door wastecollection

Transportation

Disposal or transfer


Transporting waste by tippers,tractors with trailers, and rickshaws

Dumping of waste onthe Bagmati river bank

Unloading waste intoallocated containers

Main person in-charge: Mr. Laxmi GhimirePartner contact: Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City, Pulchowk

Phone: +9771-5529341Email: [email protected]


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Organic waste for vermicomposting

Compost bins ready for sale

Packs of NEPCEMAC compost

Waste composition pie chart for use in schools

Street sweeping and household waste collection Waste pickers separating recyclables

Poster with motto: "Live like this"

Transferring waste to a container provided by LSMC

33


Suiro programme at BharatpurURBAN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

Introduction

The Suiro programme claims to be a movement forreducing the generation of plastic waste at HH level. Ithas become an exemplary practice in which localwomen’s groups encourage HHs to segregate plastic bagsfrom other waste and push them onto a Suiro so thatthey are not scattered by the wind. A Suiro is a metalhook with a long stem that can hold large numbers ofplastic bags. This programme is the combined effort offive different organisations actively working for socialwelfare in Bharatpur municipality. These organisationsare - the Rhino Club of Narayangadh28, the Rotary Clubof Narayangadh, the Rotract Club of Narayangadh, thePlastic Entrepreneurs’ Committee and the NarayaniAbudaiya Centre (Suiro programme, Bharatpur, 2008data). The networking and education is mainly done byvolunteers.


This programme is included in this study because itprovides information about simple techniques for at-source segregation of plastic waste.

Case description

Before 2003 it was common to see garbage in the openin all public areas of the municipality. Local residentswere careless about the problems associated with the

excessive use of plastics. Starting in 2003, local women'sgroups began to take action to reduce the amounts ofplastic and that movement became the Suiroprogramme in Bharatpur. These women's groups arealso involved in a number of welfare activities, suchas supporting the education of less able children andproviding financial help to the urban poor from the saleof materials for recycling. Significant environmentalimprovements have been achieved by the recovery ofplastic. Adoption of this technique is helping to reducethe quantities of mixed waste and careless dumping ofwaste, resulting in better drainage. This movement isnot only reducing the amounts of plastic waste in theurban area but also making people aware of theenvironmental problems caused by plastics.


According to the data provided by the municipality andthe field survey conducted in May 2008, the HH wastegeneration rate is 0.276 kg/person/day (Bharatpurmunicipality, 2008 data). This rate is more than theaverage value for Nepal (which is 0.25kg/capita/day)and less than the rate for Kathmandu Metropolitan City- 0.39kg/capita/day (SWMRMC, 2008). Using this rate,the daily waste generation of Bharatpur municipalityis 20 tons (Bharatpur municipality, 2008 data). Thecomposition of the waste at source was found to be:paper 5 per cent , plastic & rubber 7 per cent, organicmaterials 70 per cent, glass and ceramic 1 per cent,metal 2 per cent, wood 1 per cent, textiles 5 per cent,

Name of the Programme: Bharatpur Suiro ProgrammeLocation: Bharatpur municipality (Wards no. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 10, 11 and 12)Duration of the Project: 2005 onwardsBeneficiaries: Disabled people and urban poorDonors and Partners: TLOs, NGOs, municipality, Practical Action NepalMunicipal Vision: Storage of plastic waste on suiro hooks (for the recovery of plastic from urban solid waste).

28 Narayangadh is also represented at Bharatpur


34

leather 1 per cent and other materials 8 per cent(Bharatpur municipality, 2008 data). These data showthat plastic constitutes almost 7 per cent of the waste -i.e. 1.4 tons/day at source - and it is believed that thewaste being an inorganic matter will remain in theenvironment for a long period.


Initially the Plastic Entrepreneurs' Committee haddistributed Suiro hooks to 2,000 HHs in the main marketarea of Bharatpur (SWMRMC, 2006 data). This initiativebecame a source of inspiration for plastic wasteseparation. Women's groups from TLO have distributedsuiro hooks to HHs and collected plastic waste on amonthly basis. The Suiro programme collects 1-1.2 tonsof plastics every month from the eight wards withinBharatpur municipality. The recovered plastic sells forNRs.10/kg (Suiro Programme, 2008 data).

Two rickshaws that can carry loads ranging from 300to 500 kg are used to collect recovered plastic wastefrom eight wards, (comprising approximately 6,000 HHsand 500 shops (Suiro Programme, 2008 data). Residentsliving in the selected areas are given a Suiro hook atno charge. With the partial support from PracticalAction in Nepal, various training activities, field visitsand speech competitions were conducted.


Since 2006, Bharatpur municipality has been dumpingits waste at Ramnagar dumping site. The site is 11km

from the city centre and 4.5 km towards the eastern side(jungle area) of Ramnagar Bazaar. Plastic wastes thatcannot be recycled are transported by the SuiroProgramme to the dumping site designated by Bharatpurmunicipality using the rickshaws (Suiro Programme,2008 data). The contractor of Bharatpur municipalitytakes the remaining wastes to the dumping site. Thecontractor29 dumps all kinds of waste but the SuiroProgramme dumps only plastic which can not be recycled.The municipality takes care of the dumping site.


This programme has demonstrated that, with adequatemotivation, a considerable income can be generated fromsolid waste. Four full-time collectors and one officesecretary are engaged for plastic collection and theassociated administration. They collect around two tonsof plastics every month, out of which 1-1.2 tons of plasticscan be sold. The total income from plastic recycling isNRs.30,000/month (Suiro Program, 2007 data). Each year,Suiro donates approximately NRs.50,000 to handicappedpeople, poor students from various schools and low-income HHs in various slum and squatter communitieswithin the municipality.(Suiro Programme, 2007 data).


The Suiro programme has not only had a beneficialimpact on the environment but has also assisted thewomen involved in this initiative. Women aredeveloping the skills and confidence to be able to speakin front of large groups to share their knowledge andfeelings. Women are learning to recycle waste at theHH level; they are also working together to build socialties with other communities. This activity hasdisseminated knowledge on at-source waste reduction.Despite these successes there are still obstacles, amongthem, poor public cooperation and the lack of sufficienttransportation.

Nevertheless, this programme has definitely achievedits goal of reducing the amounts of plastic waste inBharatpur municipality.

29 Municipal Solid Waste Management of Bharatpur municipality is discussed in an earliercase.

Chart 7: Composition of solid waste at source

35



This is a very simple and safe process for reducing andrecycling plastic. This movement concentrates onrecovering plastic waste and earns a considerableincome by selling it for recycling. Furthermore, it isalso creating jobs for five persons and improving theurban environment. This NGO's approach for wasteseparation has helped citizens to understand the solidwaste management system. Organisations like PracticalAction, GTZ-UDLE, and UNDP have played a supportive

role. Finally, appropriate training and clarifying rolesand responsibilities of the stakeholders are importantsteps towards sustainable management practice.


After seeing what has been achieved, residents of otherwards of Bharatpur municipality are showing interest.This encourages confidence that it can be replicated inother urban centres of Nepal.

Contact details: Ms. Mana Sen, Mr. Rohit Kumar Shrestha, Suiro Programme Narayangadh , Bharatpur municipalityPartner contact: Bharatpur municipality

Phone: 056-528188

Overall process

Segregation and storage

Transportation

Final disposal

Storage of plastic waste in HHs on Suiro hooks

Periodic collection of plastic waste

Overall collection of plastic by Suiro programme

Safe transport of non-recyclableplastic waste to dumping site

allocated by municipality

Collection

Sale of recyclable plastic


36

Poster for Suiro Programme of Bharatpur Municipality

Demonstration of hooking method

Plastic hooked using Suiro hook

Speech competition on waste recycling and reuseorganized by Practical Action, Nepal, Bharatpur branch

Glimpses of a speech competition programme especially for housewives (organized by Practical Action Nepal, Bharatpur office)

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Suiro Abhiyan at HetaudaMunicipality


Introduction

Suiro Abhiyan is a movement of Hetauda municipalityconcerned with the collection from HHs and recyclingof plastic bags. It has become an exemplary practice inwhich members of each Tole Lane organisationencourage HHs to segregate plastics from other wastesand hook them onto a Suiro hook. This is the firstmunicipality to introduce this kind of programme inNepal.


This case was selected because it provides informationabout a TLO initiative for at-source segregation ofplastic waste.

Case description

The situation in Hetauda has improved considerably.Previously it was a common sight to see piles of garbagein public places within the municipality. Local residentswere careless about their health and the environmentalhazards caused including drain blockage caused byplastic waste. Measures to reduce this problem wereintroduced by TLOs and these initiatives grew into SuiroAbhiyan in Hetauda. A major objective of this movementin Hetauda municipality is to ensure effective recovery

Name of the Programme: Suiro Abhiyan at HetaudaLocation: All 11 wards of Hetauda municipality (initially only Wards 3 & 6)Duration of the Project: 2002 onwardsBeneficiaries: Urban residentsDonors and Partners: TLOs, NGOs, municipality, UDLE-GTZVision of the programme Hooking of plastic waste on a Suiro (at-source segregation of plastic in households)

of plastic from HH wastes. It should be pointed outthat 20.3 per cent of women in the municipality aremembers of such TLOs (Suiro Abhiyan, 2008 data). Theyare involved in activities that help them to enhance theirown skills with regard to improving the environment.Women's groups have also benefited from a saving andcredit programme as well as from income derived fromthe sale of plastic waste for recycling.

Significant environmental improvement has beenachieved by recovering plastics and the adoption ofcomposting. Similarly, improved waste managementhas resulted in better drainage and improved soilconditions. As residents become more aware ofenvironmental problems caused by plastics and thebenefits of recycling, this movement is making realprogress towards reaching its goal.


According to the data provided by the municipality anda field survey conducted in May 2008, the average HHwaste generation rate in this municipality is 0.25kg/person/day ( Hetauda municipality 2008), which issame as the national average for urban areas and lessthan Kathmandu metropolitan city (0.39 kg/capita/day- SWRMC,2008 data). The daily total generation in thismunicipality is 14 tons/day (Hetauda municipality,2008 data).


38

The composition of waste at source was found to bepaper 12.72 per cent, plastic & rubber 9.45 per cent,organics 68.53 per cent, glass and ceramics 2.28 percent, wood 0.52 per cent, textiles 1.63 per cent, leather1 per cent and other materials 3.87 per cent (Hetaudamunicipality, 2008). Therefore, this data indicates that1.4 tons of plastic wastes are generated each day inHetauda municipality. In order to reduce the plasticwaste in the municipal area, Hetauda municipalityis encouraging the use of textile bags instead ofplastic bags.


Previously, women's groups from TLOs used todistribute Suiro hooks to all member HHs in Wards 3and 6 to collect plastics bimonthly. Now, theCommunity Development Section of Hetaudamunicipality has taken on the responsibility ofrecovering plastic waste (Hetauda municipality, 2008data). The municipality has hired one room (havingan area of 225 ft sq. [21 m2]) near the central bus parkfor sorting plastics. The main stakeholders assistingthis project are: Clean Nepal, Yug Prabhat Youth Club,Tole Bikas Sanstha, Sri Krishna Pranami, Hetaudamunicipality, the Drinking Water Corporation and NavaJeevan Jyoti Club. The main input of the TLOs andwomen's groups is plastic collection from HHs usuallyon a bi-monthly or monthly basis.


One rickshaw that can carry between 300kg and 500kghas been provided by Hetauda municipality forcollecting and transporting the plastic waste. Hetaudamunicipality dumps all of its waste beside the RaptiRiver. The site is 1.5 km south of the east-west highway.

After the recovered plastic waste are sorted out at thesorting centre, non-recyclable plastic waste are takento the dumping site on the Rapti river. During the fieldvisit, there were waste pickers and animals at thedumping site and some of the deposited waste wasburning.


Two full-time employees have been engaged forcollecting and transporting plastic. The municipalitypays their salaries (NRs.2,500 per month). Thecollected plastic is sold for NRs.6 per kg. It isestimated that, in 2007, almost 1.5 tons of plasticswaste was being collected each month (Hetaudamunicipality, 2007 data). Of this, 800-900kg eachmonth was sold for recycling purpose (Hetaudamunicipality, 2007 data). Therefore, the total incomefrom the sale of recyclable plastic by this SuiroAbhiyan in Hetauda municipality was NRs.5,000 permonth (Hetauda municipality, 2007 data). In orderto increase plastic recovery from HH waste, Hetaudamunicipality distributed Suiro hooks free of cost,initially with some operational training.


Suiro Abhiyan has had a positive impact not only on theenvironment but also on the lives of women involved inthis initiative. Women involved in safely managing theirwaste at HH level are also working together to buildlinks with other communities. Their experience hasincreased knowledge regarding waste reduction andrecycling. In spite of these successes, challenges remain,including management, co-ordination between the TLOand the Hetauda municipality, building trust betweenthe stakeholders and the lack of a motor vehicle.


It has been demonstrated that local people are willingto participate in plastic reduction campaigns. This is avery simple process leading to the reduction and saferecovery of plastic. This movement, while concentratingon plastic waste reduction and separation, has earneda considerable income from recycling. Furthermore,capacity building activities - education campaigns and


39


training by involved stakeholders - have reinforced theprogress. The resource management movement (Reduce,Reuse, and Recycle) is providing a useful direction tothe project.

The approach used by Hetauda municipality, CBOs andNGOs to mobilise the community to reduce its waste atsource, has effectively developed understanding of thesolid waste management system. Similarly, theinvolvement of civil society (there are considerablenumber of civil society organisations working in wastereduction) has created conditions that are conducive tosustainable waste management. The involvement ofGTZ-UDLE, UNDP, UEIP and UN-Habitat has played an

important role in upgrading waste management inHetauda. The municipality's capacity to support civilsociety's involvement is an additional factor that hassupported waste reduction measures. In summary, thismovement is contributing to the achievement of theprogramme goal.


By demonstrating success in reducing the amounts ofplastic waste that are scattered and dumped, thisprogramme has also assisted in building a valuablerelationship between women's groups and TLOs.

Contact details: Dhruba Bhujel, Dhruba Adhikari, Community Development Section, Suiro Abhiyan, Hetauda municipalityPartner contact: Hetauda municipality, Nepal

Phone: 057-20433

Overall process

Collection

Transportation

Sale & disposal

Collection of plastic at HH level

Monthly collection of plastic by clubs and TLOs

Secondary collection by theCommunity Development Section

Sale of recyclable plastic Dumping of non recyclableplastic waste at the

riverside dump


40

Sorting and collection of plastic by the Municipality

Plastic bags on suiro hook in the yard of a house

41


UEMS for household compostingURBAN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

Introduction

The Urban Environment Management Society (UEMS)was established in 2002 with a vision to provide safedrinking water and proper sanitation, and to minimisethe quantities of domestic solid wastes, throughcoordination with government offices and mobilisationof local volunteers. (UEMS, 2008 data)


This case was selected because it provides informationabout HH composting activities for organic wastereduction.

Case description

Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City (LSMC) is locatedimmediately south of Kathmandu. The total area ofLalitpur is 15.47 km2, and it comprises 22 wards with34,996 HHs in 2001 (CBS, 2001). Various communities,NGOs and CBOs are working to improve the environmentin the core area of LSMC. Until recently, in core areasthe common approach to waste management was 'throwand forget', and scattered waste was found on everystreet. Residents had no knowledge of recycling andHH composting. Saugal is a core area that used toexemplify such attitudes and problems and wastherefore considered as a pilot programme by UEMS.

The activities of UEMS in solid waste management aresaid to be completely dependent on volunteers. The mainobjectives of UEMS are to enhance solid wastemanagement at HH level by mobilising local resources,to promote networking between concernedorganisations, and to strengthen the organisationalcapacity of UEMS.

UEMS initiated its household-based solid wastemanagement programme by involving housewives inselected areas. In addition, it conducted awareness-raising activities by means of training, orientation,exhibitions, community mobilisation and education.UEMS worked to strengthen the capacities of localvolunteers through appropriate training, orientation,observation tours, organise and participate meetingsand workshops related to solid waste management. Aftersuccessfully implementing HH composting in the Saugalarea of LSMC, UMES is now planning to extend itsactivities to other core areas of Lalitpur.


According to the data provided by UEMS and a fieldsurvey conducted in June 2008, the average HH wastegeneration rate in Lalitpur is 0.37kg/capita/day (LSMC,2008 data). This rate is more than the national averagegeneration rate of 0.25kg/capita/day and less than therate for Kathmandu Metropolitan City, which is 0.39kg/capita/day (SWMRMC, 2008 data). The composition of

Name of the Programme: UEMS for HH compostingLocation: Saugal, Ward no. 11 of Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan CityDuration of the Project: 2002 onwardsBeneficiaries: Residents of Ward no. 11 Saugal area LSMCDonors and Partners: Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City, United Mission to Nepal (earlier)Vision of the programme: Organic waste handling and recycling


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the waste is: 72.09 per cent organic waste, 6.35 percent paper, 8.36 per cent plastic, 1.63 per cent metal,2.00 per cent glass, 0.25 per cent of rubber, and 9.33per cent of other materials. (UEMS data, 2008). Nationalwaste composition data also show that most of thewaste is either organic or biodegradable. Therefore,UEMS has initiated a HH composting programme inthe core area of LSMC.


Each participating HH segregates organic waste andputs it in the compost bin, which can hold up to 50kgof waste. In order to encourage composting and assistmarketing, residents can sell compost to UEMS at theprice of NRs.6 per kg (UEMS, 2008). Then UEMS refinesand packs the compost and sells it to local flowernurseries and other customers for NRs.10-12 per kg(UEMS, 2008 data). UEMS claims to collect 900 kg ofcompost each month (UEMS, 2008 data). The initiationof the HH composting programme has raised awarenessso that others started asking for compost bins and wereeager to know how to use them. Similarly, UEMSdiscovered that residents became more aware about

the health hazards caused by careless dumping of waste- especially organic waste.

Transportation and final disposal

Local people themselves bring their compost to sell itat the UEMS office, and UEMS sells it to the local marketfor use as a soil improver.


According to the data provided by UEMS, fourmembers were working at the office as volunteers incomposting programme (UEMS, 2008 data). UEMShave trained 100 local volunteers30 to promote HHcomposting and waste recycling techniques (UEMS,2008 data). In 2008, their target has been to sell orprovide 1,000 compost bins of capacity 50 kg in thevarious wards of the core areas of LSMC. UEMS hasnow started discussing with local communities aboutconstructing a community composting facility with atotal capacity of 1000 kg. According to UEMS, workingin a core area is more effective than working insuburban areas, because information is shared veryeffectively among people of the same ethnic origin.UEMS records show that each month it buys compostworth NRs.5400 (UEMS, 2008 data).


Despite its effective HH composting scheme, UEMS isfacing problems due to insufficient staff, financial

Overall process

Distribution of compost bins to HHs

Training in composting for HHs

UEMS buys compost from individual HHs

UEMS refines, packs, labels and sells compost


30 These volunteers are engaged in other community mobilization activities (like water supply)

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limitations, and the lack of a vehicle. Other obstaclesincludes, poor institutional set-up of governmentalorganisations31 and the lack of legislation to encourageNGOs. The organisation continues its efforts to reduceignorance about environmental issues by conductingeducational campaigns, including training andawareness programmes on waste recycling andcomposting in other core area communities of LSMC.UEMS is planning to expand HH composting in similarurban areas of adjoining Kathmandu Metropolitan City.

Nevertheless, the UEMS has definitely achieved its goalsfor composting and recycling.


After implementing HH composting and at-sourcesegregation, the value of compost was appreciated bylocal residents. As with the water supply programme32,

Contact details: Mr. Dal Bahadur Singtan, Ms. Laxmi Bajracharya,Ward no. 11 Saugal, Lalitpur, P.O. Box 271

Partner contact: Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City, LalitpurPhone: +977-1-5551730

Email: [email protected]

31 According to UEMS, to get one simple authorization it is necessary to visit at least three governmental offices.32 The community initiative for water supply in that area is considered to be impressive.

the community initiative for waste management isconsidered to be very satisfactory especially in Saugal.Adequate training and awareness programmes havefacilitated proper resource management (Reduce, Reuseand Recycle). UEMS`s approach of improving theenvironment by effective management of organic solidwaste is regarded as a model for other NGOs workingin solid waste management.


After achieving a good response from the community,UEMS is encouraged to expand its activities all overthe LSMC. The concept of compost trading seems to bean effective mechanism for organic waste reductionin urban areas. By far the largest constituent of urbansolid waste in Nepal is organic material that can becomposted, and HH composting appears to be the mosteffective approach for managing organic waste.


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Compost bins ready for distribution

Compost collection at UEMS

Prepared organic compost

Label for finished product

Labelled product Compost ready to sell

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WEPCO for UrbanEnvironmental Protection


Introduction

The Women's Environment Preservation Committee(WEPCO) is a popular non-governmental organisation,established in May 1992 in Ward no. 1 of Lalitpur SubMetropolitan City. WEPCO believes that most HH solidwaste can be handled properly by women according tothe Nepalese social traditions. A group of 35 housewiveswere initially trained by an NGO on managing solidwaste (WEPCO, 2008). The group found many ways toconvince local people about the need to tackle theproblem of careless dumping of solid waste in publicplaces.


This case was selected because it provides informationon what women can do to improve the urbanenvironment and on the impact of an NGO.

Case description

Before the intervention described here, the residents ofKupondol were not aware of the serious problems causedby inadequate management of solid waste. There was awidespread problem of open dumping because ofinadequate waste collection. Likewise, people were notaware of the benefits of segregating waste and recycling.

The main objectives of WEPCO activities is to work withlocal communities to establish clean and hygienic urbanenvironments, to empower women to manage solidwaste issues in their localities, to increaseenvironmental awareness among urban communitiesand school children with the 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)concept, and to use solid waste management as acatalyst for institutional development (WEPCO, 2008data). Training is provided in the fields of compostingand vermicomposting, paper recycling, leadership,capacity building and gender issues.

A major focus for WEPCO activity is educationalcampaigns, running school environment training camps,and helping to establish school eco-clubs to raiseawareness on waste and environmental issues amongschool children. It also promotes Green Circle initiativesthat involve businesses in Nepal. Various foreignconsulates and embassies, the Chaudary group, DaburNepal, and INGOs are supporting the paper recyclingactivity by segregating their paper waste and donatingit to WEPCO.

After inputs from WEPCO on waste minimisation andrecycling, residents in ward no. 1 realized that the centralGovernment and the Municipality could not handle theproblem of solid waste without their co-operation.WEPCO's efforts changed the common perception of solidwaste management. A clear demonstration of this changeof attitude was seen during the three-week nationwide

Name of the Programme: WEPCO for Urban Environmental ProtectionLocation: Ward no. 1, Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan CityDuration of the Project: 1992 onwardsBeneficiaries: Residents of Ward no. 1 and parts of Wards no. 2 & 22Donors and Partners: LSMC, Foreign consulate offices and embassies at Kathmandu, Chaudary group, Dabur Nepal etc.Vision of the programme: To live in a clean and pollution-free urban environment in the Kathmandu valley


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strike33 in 2006, when local residents refrained fromdumping waste in public places (WEPCO, 2008 data).


According to the data provided by WEPCO and a fieldsurvey conducted in June 2008, the average HH wastegeneration rate in ward no. 1 of Lalitpur is 0.35kg/capita/day, which is more than the national average of0.25kg/capita/day and less than Kathmandumetropolitan city, which is 0.39kg/capita/day(SWMRMC, 2008 data).

Waste collection and handling

Daily collection from HHs is provided for 1200 HHs ofward no.1 and for some parts of wards no. 10 & 20(approximately 400 HHs). Ten rickshaws, each with acapacity to carry 300 - 500 kg, are used for wastecollection and later dump it at the transfer pointdesignated by LSMC. During the field visit it was learnedthat door-to-door waste collection is considered to be aWEPCO pilot programme. There is a paper recyclingplant and a composting plant with monthly productioncapacity of two tons of compost.

In order to ensure effective waste collection, WEPCOdistributed red and green bins – big enough for 10kg –to every HH in the project area for paper and plasticcollection. The “Give plastic and take compost”campaign is also a popular WEPCO programme thataims to generate awareness of organic and inorganicsolid waste reduction and segregation.


There are four handcarts that can each carry 50 kg, tenrickshaws each able to transport 300 to 500 kg and twoenvironmentally friendly, battery-powered vehicles of 1 toncapacity for solid waste collection and transport (WEPCO,2008 data). WEPCO deposits its 3 tons of waste each day ina 2-ton container provided by LSMC or dumps it at theBagmati riverside dumping site (WEPCO, 2008 data).

Organizational andfinancial aspects

According to information provided by WEPCO, it has 35full time staff (WEPCO, 2008 data). The income of thisorganisation is derived from waste collection chargesand the sale of compost, paper for recycling, and recycledproducts. In the fiscal year 2007, the income earned fromsolid waste recycling and reuse was about NRs.1 million(WEPCO, 2007 data). The waste collection charges permonth are NRs.30-100 from HHs and NRs.50-100 fromshops (WEPCO, 2007 data). Expenditures are about thesame as the total income, suggesting that the WEPCOmodel is financially sustainable.


Despite its effective system of door-to-door wastecollection, WEPCO needs additional finance to extend thecoverage. WEPCO suffers from a shortage of staff, vehiclesand other resources. Additional obstacles are caused bythe poor institutional set-up of government organisationsand the lack of legislation to encourage NGOs.

Nevertheless, WEPCO has definitely achieved its goalregarding effective waste collection and waste reduction.It was honoured by the award of the UNEP Global 500Environmental Award in 2003, a Ministry of Populationaward in1996 and the WWF Nepal Programme AbrahamConservation Award in 2003.

Plans and developments

WEPCO plans to expand training in resourcemanagement to all the wards in five municipalities ofKathmandu valley area.

33 A nationwide strike against autocratic rule lasted for 19 days in 2006

Chart 10: Composition of solid waste at source(WEPCO data, 2008)

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WEPCO already has separate composting andvermicomposting facilities with capacities of 500 kg atits central office in Kupondol. One biogas plant (capacity6 m3) is also under trial phase operation at the centraloffice area (WEPCO, 2008 data).


The demonstration of HH waste reduction, compostingand source separation helped the residents to understandthese processes. Capacity building activities andeducation campaigns from WEPCO have developedenvironmental awareness and facilitated waste

Overall process

Collection

Transport

Transfer & disposal

Door-to-door collection

Transportation of waste by rickshaws

Dumping of waste atBagmati riverside dumpsite

Unloading waste intomunicipal containers

Collection from designated points

Sorting and sale of recyclables

reduction and improved solid waste and resourcemanagement (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) in all LSMCareas. WEPCO’s inputs in solid waste management haveplayed a very vital part in the development of asustainable urban environment.


After achieving a good response from local residents,WEPCO has conducted a comprehensive campaign in orderto minimise solid waste. The impact on the overall urbanenvironment is impressive. This type of programme canbe replicated in other municipalities in Nepal.

Contact details: Ms. Bishnu Thakali, WEPCO, KupondolPartner contact: Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City , Lalitpur

Phone: 01-5520617Email: [email protected]


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Waste separation process

Organic waste for vermicomposting

Biogas plant at WEPCO

Recycled paper

Composting by WEPCO

Household waste collection Selling of recyclable waste

Various paper products made from recycled paper

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3.0 CONCLUSIONS AND LESSONS LEARNT

The aim of this report is to share the findings fromseveral cases of best practice and to help readers tounderstand the roles of various organisations. Thismapping is necessary in the context of integrated andsustainable waste systems, for which an understandingof people, systems and technologies is fundamental.Considerable effort has been invested by municipalitiesand NGOs to improve solid waste management in Nepal.Various organisations from the private sector and NGOsare involved. The main areas of focus for theseorganisations have been primary collection, compostingand recycling. The municipalities have become interestedto make improvements in final disposal, which is oftena neglected aspect of waste management. Much stillneeds to be done to upgrade many aspects of solid wastemanagement systems. Lessons learnt and tentativeconclusions drawn from this report are as presentedbelow.

Minimising solid waste at source: Minimisation isone of the important aspects of solid waste systemsand it can be effective in urban centres in Nepal. Inorder to reduce the amount of solid waste sent forfinal disposal, at-source minimisation and effectivewaste collection systems play a major role.Municipalities and NGOs can work together toimprove current practices and policies in this area.

Immediate need of landfill sites: In order to disposenon-recyclable waste, landfill sites are necessary forsafe disposal of solid waste. Most municipalities inNepal do not have a permanent landfill site and soare dumping their solid wastes either on river banksor on open land. This dumping process, especially ifdone close to rivers, may be creating long-lastingenvironmental and health risks. For long-termenvironmental protection and to avoid public healthhazards, safe disposal of waste is essential. Therefore,

all municipalities of Nepal should learn a lesson fromTribhuvannagar municipality on the subject ofsanitary disposal.

Waste management as part of the initialinfrastructure: For any type of construction, eitherresidential or commercial, a municipality shouldenforce basic requirements in order to reduce orsegregate waste at source. For example,municipalities should consider making provision formeasures such as HH composting and separatecontainers for recyclables before approving aconstruction proposal. This provision should bemonitored and penalties enforced if necessary, inorder to enforce such requirements. Municipalboards should make this provision a high priority.

Greater participation of local communities:Lessons from the cases presented in this reporthave demonstrated how community awareness ofwaste management issues can play a major role inupgrading management practice. Measures suchas at-source segregation, recycling and reusing ofwaste require major efforts to raise the awarenessof the community and develop participation. Localgovernment could effectively co-ordinatecommunity participation and awareness-raisingprogrammes as well as developing new policymeasures.

Support for private sector partnership: It is notedthat, due to limitations of local government financesand resources, engaging private sector wastemanagement service providers is an option that meritsconsideration. However, private sector operators maynot be attracted without the necessary policy measuresand investment environment. Municipalities shouldtake the necessary measures to monitor the


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performance of any private sector partner. Theinvolvement of the private sector can generateemployment for the urban poor.

Involve local recycling businessman in wastemanagement planning: Local businessman who aredealing in recyclable materials should be involvedin waste management planning because their insightsand experience could improve planning forsustainable solid waste management. They shouldbe invited to take part in the annual meetings ofmunicipal boards when waste management issuesare being discussed.

Tax waiver for recycling enterprises: During the fieldvisit it was learnt that recycling is an important partof sustainable waste management. Enterprises thatdeal with recycled materials could be encouraged bya waiver of local government taxes in everymunicipality.

Greater effort for HH and community composting:The cases that have been presented clearly show thatHH composting is the best option for reducing andtreating organic wastes. Data showed that almost 70per cent of the solid waste in Nepal is organic waste.

Solid waste management needs a separatedepartment: It is noted that provision of solid wastemanagement services in all the municipalities is theresponsibility of the Community Development Section.There are some other responsibilities that need to begiven to this department such as communitymobilisation for infrastructure development.Therefore, in order to achieve effective and efficientwaste management services, a separate departmentshould be created in each municipality.

Suiro for Plastic separation: Waste recovery andsegregation at source are not considered seriously inmany urban centres of Nepal. The storage ofsegregated plastic waste by hooking it on a Suirohook is a simple and sanitary method of handlingthis type of inorganic waste.

Empowerment of low-income communities forrecycling: Low-income communities (if united) couldrecycle their own waste themselves in their areas,thereby avoiding collection by outsiders. This exercisecould improve local people’s perception of wastesegregation and reuse. People could learn that useful

incomes can be earned from waste if it is handledproperly.

Systematic effort for financial management: Mostmunicipalities in Nepal have limited resources tofacilitate proper solid waste management services. Asystematic and organised approach to wastemanagement could result in waste managementsystems that are more sustainable.

Roles and responsibilities: Municipal programmesthat raise awareness and create an understandingof the roles of various stakeholders in wastemanagement could enhance sustainability. Thereare various GOs, NGOs and INGOs working in urbandevelopment planning and their roles andresponsibilities should be clearly defined before theplanning starts. Municipalities could coordinate,encourage and work with local NGOs andcommunities which are working for reduction,reuse and recycling.

Mechanism to encourage users: The cases haveshown that users or beneficiaries can play animportant role in ISWM. If users are aware, wastemanagement systems could be better managed.Therefore, interactive programmes, television andradio broadcasts, educational tours, exhibitions etc.should be used to encourage users to take on agreater role.

Honour a good waste handler: Municipalities couldhonour individuals who make outstandingcontributions to resource management. This practicewould increase the interest of citizens and createcompetition among the residents resulting inimproved standards of resource management. Forexample, in 2008 Hetauda municipality honouredits service providers with a prize worth NRs.1,000for making a good contribution to reducing, reusingand recycling HH waste.

Training centres: Solid waste management trainingand resource centres could be established in order toimprove the standards of solid waste management inall the municipalities of Nepal. The Ministry of LocalDevelopment could formulate a clearer role for itsSolid Waste Management and Resource MobilisationCentre. Necessary instructions could be given toSWMRMC in order to improve the solid wastemanagement capacities of municipalities.

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More research and studies: In order to increase thequality and efficiency of services in the localoperational context, more research and studies inwaste management should be undertaken. SWMRMCshould work with the institutions which are educatingurban planners at various universities in Nepal.

Short-term and long-term planning: In order toimplement effective solid waste management in themunicipalities, all municipal administrations couldformulate short-term and long-term plans for wastemanagement. Every municipality could employ oneurban planner for overall urban development planning.


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References

Ali M. & Cotton A., 2000, The Sweeping Business, Water Engineering and Development Centre,Loughborough University.

KCC & SDC, 2000, Community Based Pilot Project on Solid Waste Management in Khulna City; KhulnaCity Series.

Nippon Koei & Yachiyo Engineering, 2005, The Study on The Solid Waste Management For The KathmanduValley, CKV Study Report, Japan International Cooperation Agency assistance to Nepal.

Noor, K.B.M. ,1997,Lessons learnt from recycling project in Malaysia. In: A .L. Fernandez (Ed.) Recyclingin Asia: Partnerships for responsive solid waste management. UNCRD. Nagoya, Japan, 59-82

Pokhrel D.et al, 2005, Municipal Solid Waste Management in Nepal: Practices and Challenges, WasteManagement 25 (555-562),Science Direct

Solid Waste Management and Resource Mobilization Center, 2006, Solid Waste Management in theMunicipalities of Nepal, Government of Nepal

Solid Waste Management and Resource Mobilization Center, 2006,A Diagnostic Report on State of SolidWaste Management in Municipalities of Nepal, Government of Nepal

WASTE, 2004, Putting integrated sustainable waste management into practice using ISWM assessmentmethodology, WASTE.

Reports and Materials

Babu Raja Shrestha, Public Participation in Integrated Solid Waste Management Program in BiratnagarSub Metropolitan City.

Dhruba Bahadur Bhujel, Solid waste management system in Hetauda Municipality-, HetaudaMunicipality.

Dilip Kumar Suwal; Study Report on Bhaktapur Municipality.

Municipality reports on its effort for Integrated Sustainable Waste Management, 2008 (Provided byMuAN)

Materials and Information’s from WEPCO, NEPCEMAC, UEMS, Suiro program Bharatpur, Suiro AbhiyanHetauda

URLs

<www.muannepal.org> January 18 2008, <www.tribhuvannagar.gov.np> January 18 2008


OF NEPALESE CITIES

PRACTICAL ACTION NEPALP O Box 15135, Pandol Marga,LazimpatKathmandu, NepalTelephone: +00 977 1 444 6015, +00 977 1 209 4063Fax: +00 977 1 444 5995E-mail: [email protected]

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