Assessment of Solid Waste Management System in Pakistan and Sustainable Model from Environmental and Economic Perspective

Asif Iqbal (), Yasar Abdullah, Abdul Sattar Nizami, Imran Ali Sultan and Faiza Sharif
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Asif Iqbal: Sustainable Development Study Center (SDSC), Government College University, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
Yasar Abdullah: Sustainable Development Study Center (SDSC), Government College University, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
Abdul Sattar Nizami: Sustainable Development Study Center (SDSC), Government College University, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
Imran Ali Sultan: The Urban Unit, Planning & Development (P&D) Department, Government of the Punjab, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
Faiza Sharif: Sustainable Development Study Center (SDSC), Government College University, Lahore 54000, Pakistan

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 19, 1-23

Abstract: The Solid Waste Management (SWM) sector is given a low-priority by the Pakistani Government, with the climate change agenda of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) being a priority-3 only, similar to other developing countries. Although sustained efforts have been made during the last decade to strengthen the SWM sector, all actions were focused on manual sweeping and waste collection without integrating waste treatment and disposal options. In this respect, the current model of SWM in the country was analyzed for efficient future planning to strengthen the sector waste management regime in line with the targets of Nationally Determined Contributors (NDCs) and SDGs. An assessment of the SWM sector was performed in eleven major cities of Pakistan, applying Waste-aware benchmarking indicators as strategic tools. The current study highlights the strengths and weaknesses of concerned local municipalities and Waste Management Companies (WMCs) along with interventions to reduce Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) emission targets by 2030. Proposed interventions from the environment and economy perspective will generate revenue to cater for up to 29% of the operational costs, and this will be an important step towards 100% self-sufficiency in the SWM sector.

Keywords: SWM system; sustainable waste management; GHGs emission from waste; Pakistan MSW; NDCs; economic model; SDGs; the Urban Unit (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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