Cost Analysis of Municipal Solid Waste Management Using Waste Compacting Stations: A Case Study

Abstract

Under the clean city initiative, one of the biggest challenges is municipal solid waste (MSW) management. The city like Kolkata has a population of 14,112,536 as per 2011 census which is directly related to waste generation. Waste generation which is controlled by the evolution of economic growth, life style, will increase as population will increase. The old concept of dumping in open vat and then transfer into landfill is no more appreciable in this clean city initiative. Open vat produces odor and vector-borne diseases encompassing it. It is easy accessible of birds, animals, and rainwater which scatter wastes in the vicinity of open vat. Moreover, MSW is being carried out for disposal, and the area of disposal site is also limited. To overcome this drawback, municipalities are concentrating on waste compaction. However, the compacted wastes are still transported and dumped into landfill site. Waste compactors help to reduce the volume of MSW which will decrease the number of times the dumpster will be needed to be emptied. As a result, transportation cost will be minimized. The purpose of this study is to analyze cost of MSW management using waste compactor with respect to waste quantity, waste characteristics, number of trip of the compactors, labors requirements. As, increase of population directly influences the MSW generated, the study reveals the future MSW stream in largest municipality of West Bengal and also gives an idea of cost involved due to MSW management.