Solid waste management initiatives in small towns - Lessons and implications - A WSP report
This report by the Water and Sanitation Programme describes the efforts undertaken by three small towns in West Bengal, Goa and Andhra Pradesh at solid waste management.
Significant improvement in civic environment, though final health outcomes were not achieved due to absence of systems for safe and sanitary disposal.
Reduced incidence of health hazards associated with ragpicking (especially in Suryapet and Panaji).
Increased compliance with Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Rules 2000 (except disposal norms, which were not met).
Improved system productivity as indicated by the negligible increase in staff or vehicles despite improved service levels.
Income-generating opportunities for population living below the poverty line and ragpickers.
Improved citizen confidence in city administration, in some cases resulting in improved tax collections.
Some important lessons that could be drawn from the case studies included:
A need was identified for developing a reform program that was firmly grounded in the Solid Waste Management Initiatives in small towns.
There was a potential in harnessing local resources and innovating through a bottom-up approach.
There was a need for a supportive role to be played by state governments, which needed to guard against adopting a top-down prescriptive approach.
There was a need for more active intervention in waste treatment and disposal that had tended to get neglected due to constraints existing at the local level.
