The Growing Burden: Urbanization and

Waste Generation
• Cities are growing, and with that growth comes an inevitable
increase in waste. This isn’t a future problem; it’s a present reality
that many urban centers are struggling to manage effectively.
• Exponential Waste Increase: As populations denser, the sheer
volume of waste generated per capita, coupled with economic
growth and technological development, puts immense pressure on
existing waste management infrastructure.
• Strained Infrastructure: Traditional waste management systems can
not cope up with current volumes or types of waste, leading to a
constant strain on resources and personnel.
• Public Dissatisfaction: Overflowing bins, uncollected waste, and the
general sight of litter detract from the quality of life for residents
and can negatively impact on environment and livability.
 Inefficiencies in Traditional Systems: A
Costly Dilemma
• The way waste is typically managed today is fraught with inefficiencies
that translate into significant financial and environmental costs.
• Wasted Resources: Fixed collection schedules mean trucks traverse the
same routes daily, regardless of whether bins are full or empty. This leads
to excessive fuel consumption, wear and tear on vehicles, and
unnecessary labor costs.
• Environmental Repercussions: Increased fuel usage directly contributes
to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in urban areas. Landfills,
often the final destination, pose long-term environmental risks.
• Missed Opportunities: Without real-time data, municipalities struggle to
identify problematic areas, optimize collection frequency based on actual
need, or implement effective recycling and diversion strategies. This can
lead to a higher percentage of recyclable materials ending up in landfills.
 The Need for a Proactive Approach:
Moving Towards Sustainability
Simply continuing with the status quo is not a sustainable solution. The
proposal needs to articulate the urgency for adopting more innovative and
proactive strategies, and smart waste management is presented as the
answer.
• Transition to Data-Driven Operations: The core problem is a lack of real-
time, actionable data. Smart waste management provides this by
leveraging technology to transform how waste is monitored, collected,
and managed.
• Economic and Environmental Imperatives: The financial burden of
inefficient waste collection, coupled with the growing imperative to
reduce environmental impact and promote circular economy principles,
makes smart waste management not just desirable, but essential.
• Enhancing Urban Livability: Ultimately, the goal is to create cities that are
not only cleaner but also healthier, more efficient, and more pleasant for
their inhabitants.
 Benefits Beyond the Obvious: Cleaner
Cities, Happier Citizens
• Reduced Environmental Impact: Less fuel consumption by
collection trucks means lower emissions and a smaller
carbon footprint. Optimized sorting and processing can also
divert more waste from landfills.
• Cost Savings: Efficient routing and resource allocation can
lead to significant operational cost reductions for
municipalities.
• Improved Public Health: Timely waste removal prevents
pest infestations and the spread of diseases, contributing to
a healthier urban population.
• Citizen Engagement: Smart systems can also provide
channels for citizen reporting and feedback, fostering a
sense of community involvement.
 Waste minimization
• Reduces the quantity of the waste generated
• Results in savings, which reduces the collection,
treatment, and disposal costs.
• Reduction in the impact on environmental resources.
• Leads to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
and associated climate change impacts.
 Waste Minimization methods
• Promoting and implementing awareness and
education programmes
• Developing and promoting at source reduction
programmes in the community
• Strict implementation of associated waste
management rules
• Enforcing Segregation at source
• Enforcing User Fees/Charges for MSWM
services
 Waste Segregation
• Reduces municipal efforts and resources spent on
the process of waste segregation post-collection.
• Improvement in quality of life of waste pickers and
more employment opportunities
• Reduction in disposal of waste to landfills, resultant
lower transportation costs. Thus prevent water
pollution from leachates.
• High resource recovery (3R principles) and reduce
landfilling
• Increase resource efficiency and circular economy
Segregation – The key element of waste management

Waste segregation / source separation

Segregation is the systematic separation of different types of waste at the point of

generation—such as households, shops, institutions, or industries—according to their
characteristics, composition, and potential for reuse, recycling, or safe disposal.

Why waste segregation is Important?

Why waste segregation matters?

Segregation is the “Front door” to safe disposal and resource recovery

Segregation at source is cheaper than sorting later

Improves system Improves

Enables circular
performance across transparency &
economy pathways
the chain accountability
• Cleaner inputs → recycling • Separate ‘materials’ from • Control contamination
‘trash’
• Lower downstream → • Clarifies roles
handling risks • Support stable supply → MRF,
recycling
• Less mixed waste → higher
value
Waste segregation is a system, not a slogan

SYSTEM VIEW

People & behaviour Service & logistics

Habits, norms, trust, convenience, motivation Separate collection, routing, schedules, reliability

Infrastructure Governance & incentives

Bins, labels, storage, MRF/processing capacity Rules, accountability, contracts, rewards/penalties

Design rule:

If any pillar is weak, segregation collapses. The system must make the “right action” easy, obvious, and worth
doing—every day.
Behavioural foundations (what drives daily segregation)

BEHAVIOUR CHANGE

Capability Do people know how to separate and have the skills/tools?

Opportunity Is it convenient (bins, space, schedule, nearby points)?

Motivation Do they care, trust the system, and see benefits or norms?

Habit Is the behaviour repeated until automatic?

Social norms Do peers/communities expect and reward the behaviour?

Trust Do people believe their effort will not be wasted (no re-mixing)?

Practical implication: awareness alone rarely sustains behaviour. Combine education + convenience + feedback +
incentives + enforcement.
Collection of solid wastes
Collection is usually the most visible—and often the most expensive—municipal service.

Primary
Secondary collection and haul
collection
Movement from the
source to a nearby Transfer from communal points or stations
communal point, to processing facilities or final disposal sites
secondary storage or using larger vehicles.
transfer facility.

Examples
Examples
Door-to-door Rickshaw
Compactor trucks • Dump trucks • Hook-lift
vans • Handcarts • Small
containers • Tractor-trailers
tippers

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SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
 Primary collection
(Regular, reliable & building trust)
• Handcarts

• Rickshaw van

• Tri-cycle with bins

• Tri-cycle with tipping system

• Auto tipper with Hydraulic Container

• Direct transfer of solid waste from Primary

collection vehicle
Transfer stations: purpose and role
Transfer becomes attractive when small collection vehicles must travel long distances.

Small collection Transfer Large haul

vehicles station vehicles

Frequent stops Receive High payload

Short-range Inspect Long-distance haul
operation Consolidate Lower cost per
High Compact or tonne-km
manoeuvrability load

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SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
Transfer station siting and design criteria
A technically efficient location must also be environmentally and socially acceptable.

Location Environmental control

• Near collection centroid and connected to arterial roads • Enclosure, ventilation, odour, dust, litter and leachate management

Capacity Community interface

• Peak hourly inflow, storage and future growth • Buffers, operating hours, grievance system and landscaping

Traffic Worker facilities

• Safe queuing, turning and separation of public traffic • PPE, sanitation, washing, rest area and emergency response

Utilities Resilience
• Power, water, drainage, fire protection and communications • Flood level, drainage, backup equipment and redundancy

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SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
Transport economics: when is transfer justified?
Transfer reduces long-haul time for collection vehicles but adds handling and facility costs.

Without transfer With transfer

Collection vehicle travels to disposal Collection vehicle unloads locally;
site trailer performs haul

Higher travel time More time spent collecting

Lower daily collection Higher payload on long-distance
productivity haul
More fuel and crew hours per Added transfer facility and
tonne handling cost

Decision: Compare total annual cost under both systems across realistic haul
distances and waste quantities.
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SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
 Secondary Storage
Constraints of Secondary bins
• They occupy the road and street
places causing traffic congestion
• They are causing littering in the
surrounding areas
• They attract a lot of pests, and
vectors creating unhygienic
conditions
• They originate bad odour, thus
effecting the quality of life
 What are the important factors
influencing waste collection?
1. Public awareness & attitude
2. Waste discharge amounts
3. Situation of primary collection,
4. Collection points,
5. Collection and transportation time
6. Transfer time
7. Collection and transportation
procedure/system
 Optimum waste collection points and routing

• Select collection points at strategic

locations
• Plan an efficient route ( Avoid
traffic congestion)
• Decrease loading time (manual
loading)
• Place the container at appropriate
location
 Why Route Planning?

Reduce fuel consumption

Reduce travel time
Increase collection efficiency
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Improve service coverage
 Route Planning steps
Waste Generation Data GIS Mapping
Vehicle Capacity Road Network
Optimized Collection Route Real-time GPS
Monitoring
 Time & Motion Survey
• To determine how efficient the garbage truck is being
used and suitable to the cover their collection zone
• To study the behaviour of the driver & collection crews
and how efficient they carry out their service.
• Identify the cooperation between the service provider
and the discharger.
• To check whether the collection route is appropriately
planned.
• To check whether the collection time is suitably
scheduled.
• To check if the containers used by the dischargers are
appropriate
Survey Method
 Street Sweeping ( Manual Vs
Mechanical)
• Labor intensive
(Manual sweeping needs large size of workforce )
• Simple technology (broom, shovel, handcart)

• Health Risk & accidents

• Cost-effective
• Environmental friendly
• Efficiency
• Accessibility
• Coordination required to
collect sweeping heaps
 Drain Cleaning
• Messy, unhygienic
• Exposure to contaminants
• Effort & Time (Time consuming)
 What is Transfer Station
Facility where waste is unloaded from small
vehicles and reloaded into larger transport
vehicles.
Why Use Transfer Stations?
• Lower transport cost
• Fewer collection vehicles
• Reduced traffic
 Waste Transfer

• Messy & Unhygienic

• Traffic Congestion
• Time & Effort
• Labour intensive
• Ergonomic risks (Back pain)
• Noise & Pollution
• Limited efficiency

Timing and frequency of Collection

Timing : Acceptable to residents and even at
night to avoid traffic congestion
Frequency: Biodegradable waste daily
collection, Non-biodegradable dry waste no
need of daily collection
 Waste transport

Wheelbarrow Push cart Garbage Van 3 Wheeler

Rickshaw van
/ Tempo

Container Container carrier

Battery operated van

Skid Steer Loader Dump Truck Arm roll Compactor

Material Recovery Facility
(MRF)
The central sorting backbone of modern
waste management systems.

• Recover: Extracts valuable recyclables

from mixed streams.

• Prepare: Generates feedstock for

recycling.

• Impact: Reduces landfill load by 60–70%.

• Social: Formalises roles for informal

waste workers.
 Material Recovery Facility (MRF)
Role: Central sorting backbone of the entire system

Strengths Limitations of MRF (and Mitigation)

Recovers recyclables • Needs Trained Workforce and Close
Paper, plastics, metals, glass, textiles — improving Supervision
overall recovery rate. • Well-managed MRFs require:
Prepares feed for compost + RDF/Incineration • Shift supervisors
Segregated wet fraction → composting • Skilled sorters
Dirty dry fraction → RDF plant/Incineration • Safety protocols
Reduces landfill load by 60–70%
• Regular equipment maintenance
MRF + composting + RDF drastically decreases waste
requiring disposal.
Enables structured roles for informal workers Mitigation:
Safe workstations, PPE, wages, formal inclusion → Use a PPP or contracted operator model
improved recovery & livelihood. where private specialists run the MRF.

Detail Market Assessment of Value Chain of

Recyclables is required.
 Compactors
• Reduce waste volume
• Time and labor saving
• Improve hygiene & safety
• High Capital cost
• Sensitive hydraulic mechanisms
• High fuel, operational, maintenance & repair
cost
• Moderate operating skills; and at least two
persons to operate the truck under most
conditions
• Availability of spare parts
• Availability of skilled mechanics
• Conduct preventive inspection and
maintenance
 Plastic/SUP Pollution : Why Matters

● Made from fossil fuel with very small life cycle

● Huge carbon footprint
● High quantity usage and waste production
● Non-biodegradable
● Only small percentage is recycled – difficult to
segregate in Bangladesh context
● Causes health issues – hormone disruption &
cancer
● Pollutes environment – leaches toxins
● Kill animals and birds – through marine pollution
● Enters our food chain

49
What is Single-Use Plastic (SUP)?

● Under Bangladesh's Solid

Waste Management Rules,
2021, the government has
identified 17 single-use plastic
(SUP) items for a phase-out
plan.
● Disposable plastic used once
or briefly
● Examples: bottles, straws,
sachets, bags, cutlery
● High pollution and low
recovery rate
 SUP Consumption Trends in Bangladesh

•SUP dominates packaging: ~96% of discarded SUP comes from food & personal
care; sachets alone ≈ 35% (mostly non-recyclable).

•Urban consumption surge: Per-capita plastic use rose from 3 kg (2005) to 9 kg

(2020); Dhaka ≈ 22.25 kg/year.

•Bottle dependency: 3.15–3.84 billion SUP bottles used annually.

• Urban → mostly water bottles
• Rural → mostly soft-drink bottles

•Poor disposal behavior:

• Discard after one use: Urban 51%, Rural 42%
• Only ~21.4% recycled; most end in drains, rivers, or landfills.
 Why Sachets Are a Problem

● Non-recyclable, affordable, easy-to-carry packaging contributing

massively to plastic waste.
● Environmental Impacts: soil contamination, clogged drains, urban
flooding, marine pollution.
● Health Impacts : Microplastics enter food chain → headaches, nausea,
lung issues, reproductive problems.
● Marine eco-system: Sachets enter rivers → oceans → marine species
ingest micro-plastics; food chain impacts.
Technology Options for Waste
treatment
 Composting (Windrow)
Why Composting Is Ideal for Bangladesh
High organic fraction
Over 80% of household waste is
biodegradable → windrow composting is
perfectly suited.
Low CAPEX & OPEX
Minimal machinery, low energy demand, and
inexpensive infrastructure.
Moisture-tolerant technology
Handles wet waste effectively, even during
monsoon.
Simple O&M
Easy for municipal teams to run with basic
training.
Compost demand
Local farmers ( i.e. horticulture) can actively
use organic compost.

Still Struggling in operation &

sales
 Thermal Technologies – Suitability ??

Plasma Strengths
Produces Clean Syngas
Gasification (for Power generation,
Steam production, Industrial
heating)
Creates Vitrified Slag
(Usable in tiles, bricks, or
road base)
Very High Destruction
Efficiency
The extremely high
temperatures:
• Destroy complex waste
molecules (Plasma Gasification-
• Break down hazardous Nageswari, Kurigram)
organics
• Minimise emissions
(when operated
correctly)
This is why plasma
gasification is used in
hazardous waste treatment
and military waste
systems, not municipal (Plasma Gasification-
systems. Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar)
 Gas Exhaust gas
Deodorizing
Cooling Processing
furnace
facility facility

Combustible Crusher (Dry exhaust gas)

Sorter
waste

Dryer Chimney

Fly ash
Inappropriate Molding
material machine

RDF

Refused Derived Fuel (RDF)

 Process
flow
Diagram
RDF
Technolo
gy
 Households
Put Out
Separate
food waste

Crushing Convert to
Grindings electricity
Purity
Biogas
Methane Fermentation facility Use as fuel
Fermentation residue Store
Apply to
agriculture

Dehydrate
Dehydrated solid Filtrate liquid

Apply to Apply to
agriculture agriculture

Use as
compost Bio-methanation (anaerobic digestion)
(Anaerobic Digestion)
(Anaerobic Digestion)
 Engineered Landfill (Mandatory Component)
Role: Final disposal for inert residues

Why essential:
• Regulatory
compliance
under SWM
Rules 2021
• Prevents
groundwater
contamination
• Long
operational life
(10-15 years)
• Operational
capacity
Challenge
 RDF
• A Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) Plant transforms
sorted and collected combustible waste into
valuable solid fuel with a heat value of 16 to
20 MJ/kg.
 Gas Exhaust gas
Deodorizing
Cooling Processing
furnace
facility facility

Combustible Crusher (Dry exhaust gas)

Sorter
waste

Dryer Chimney

Fly ash
Inappropriate Molding
material machine

RDF

Refused Derived Fuel (RDF)

 Comparative Suitability Matrix
Attribute Composting MRF RDF Biomethanatio Incineration Omni- Plasma Engineered
n Processing Gasification Landfill
CAPEX Low Medium Medium Medium Very High High Extremely High Medium
Requirement
OPEX Burden Low Medium Medium Medium–High Very High High Extremely High Low
Skill Need Low Medium Medium High High Very High Expert Low
Land Moderate Moderate Medium Moderate High Moderate High Low
Requirement
Climate & Excellent Excellent Good (needs Good Poor Medium Very Poor Excellent
Moisture dry feed) (moderate
Tolerance moisture)
Fit With Waste Excellent (80% Excellent Good (dry Good (clean Very Poor Medium Very Poor Universal
Composition organics) combustibles) food waste)

Energy Demand Low Low–Medium Medium Medium Very High High Extremely High Low
Emission Control Minimal Low Moderate Moderate Very High High Very High Low
Requirement
Technology Very High High High Medium Low–Medium Medium Low Very High
Reliability
Spare Parts High (local) High Medium Medium Low Low–Medium Very Low High
Availability
Grid Very Low Low Medium Medium Very High High Extremely High Low
Dependency
Scalability High High High Medium Low Medium Low Medium
Social Very High High High High Low Moderate Low Medium
Acceptance
Market Linkages Strong Strong Strong (kilns) Moderate Weak Weak Very Weak None
(compost) (recyclables) (biogas) (char/syngas
markets
limited)
Compliance with Fully Compliant Fully Compliant Compliant Compliant Conditional Conditional Rarely Fully Compliant
SWM Rules 2021 (APCD needed) compliant
Suitability for High High High Medium–High Very Poor Low Very Poor High
Bangladesh

Overall ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★☆☆☆☆ ★★★★★

Suitability Score
 Recommended Integrated Technology Mix

MRF + Composting + Engineered Landfill

Why this works best:

• Fully matches waste
composition
• Lowest CAPEX/OPEX
• High resource recovery (65–
80%)
• Simple O&M
• Suitable for Municipalities
Ultimate disposal methods
Open dumping should be replaced by controlled and engineered disposal.

Open dumping Uncontrolled placement of

Very low short-term cost
Fires, vectors, leachate, methane and
waste scavenging hazards

Controlled
Basic access control, spreading Improvement over open
dumping and periodic cover dumping
Limited liner, leachate and gas control

Sanitary Engineered cells, compaction,

Reliable disposal for Requires land, finance, skilled O&M and
landfill daily cover, leachate and gas
residual waste monitoring
systems

Secure landfill Specially engineered disposal High containment and

Not for mixed municipal waste
for hazardous residues traceability

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SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
Key elements of a sanitary landfill
An engineered barrier system protects soil, groundwater, air and neighbouring communities.
Liner system Leachate control
Compacted clay and/or Collection, storage and
Site & buffer geomembrane treatment
Geology, hydrogeology and
access

SANITARY
Landfill gas
LANDFILL Collection, flare or energy
use

Monitoring
Groundwater, gas,
Cover system
settlement and stability
Daily, intermediate and final
Operations cover
Cells, compaction, roads and
records

67
SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
Landfill operations and environmental control
Good design fails without disciplined daily operation.

Environmental Management and

Daily operations
systems records

• Weigh and inspect incoming • Track tonnage, vehicles and

• Maintain leachate drains and
loads incidents
ponds
• Direct vehicles to active face • Inspect slopes, roads and
• Operate gas wells and flare
• Spread in thin layers and equipment
• Control stormwater separately
compact • Monitor groundwater and gas
• Prevent fires, birds, vectors and
• Apply daily cover and control • Maintain closure and financial
odour
litter provisions

68
SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
Key messages
An integrated approach improves service quality, recovery and environmental protection.

Start at the source Segregation and safe storage determine the quality of every
1 downstream step.

Optimize collection Routes, schedules, vehicle choice and workforce management

2 drive service cost.

Use transfer Transfer stations add value when they reduce long-haul costs
3 strategically and collection vehicle downtime.

Dispose residuals Sanitary landfill remains essential for residues, even in high-
4 safely recovery systems.

Safe handling • Reliable collection • Efficient transfer • Engineered

disposal
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SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
Technology selection criteria
No single option is best in every city. Select a system that is affordable, operable and locally appropriate.

Waste characteristics Service context

• Quantity, composition, moisture, density and hazardous fractions • Settlement density, roads, land use and collection coverage

Markets and recovery Environmental safeguards

• Demand for recyclables, compost, RDF or energy • Emissions, leachate, odour, noise, climate and flood risk

Institutional capacity Financial sustainability

• Staff, contracts, regulation, monitoring and enforcement • CAPEX, OPEX, tariffs, subsidies and lifecycle cost

Social considerations Resilience and flexibility

• Informal sector, neighbours, occupational safety and equity • Growth, seasonal peaks, equipment backup and adaptation

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SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
The “Smart” Difference: Technology at
Play
Smart waste management introduces a crucial element: data-
driven decision-making. This involves incorporating
technologies to monitor, analyze, and optimize different
stages of the waste management lifecycle.
• Sensors in Bins: This is a classic example. IoT (Internet of
Things) sensors placed inside waste bins can detect fill
levels in real-time.
• Data Platforms: This collected data is then fed into a
central platform, often cloud-based, allowing for analysis
and visualization.
• Route Optimization: Algorithms can use this data to
dynamically adjust collection routes, ensuring trucks only
visit bins that are full or nearly full.
• IoT Sensor Functionality: These sensors will be designed to
accurately measure fill levels, temperature, and potentially even
detect the presence of specific waste types (e.g., recyclables). They
will be durable, weather-resistant, and have long battery life.
• Real-time Data Transmission: Data from these sensors will be
transmitted wirelessly to a central cloud-based platform in near
real-time, providing an up-to-the-minute view of waste
accumulation across the city.
• Targeted Deployment: Initial deployment will focus on high-traffic
public areas, commercial zones, and residential areas identified as
having significant waste management challenges.
• Centralized Data Management and Analytics Platform: All the data
collected by the sensors will be aggregated and analyzed within a
robust, user-friendly platform.
• Cloud-Based Infrastructure: This platform will be hosted on a
secure, scalable cloud infrastructure, ensuring accessibility and
reliability.
• Data Visualization Dashboards: Municipal waste management
officials will have access to intuitive dashboards presenting
key metrics like bin fill levels, historical waste generation trends,
and waste composition analysis.
• Predictive Analytics: The platform will employ
machine learning algorithms to analyze patterns, predict fill rates,
and forecast waste generation, enabling proactive interventions.
• Reporting and Auditing Capabilities: The system will generate
detailed reports on collection efficiency, route optimization success,
and environmental impact, crucial for ongoing evaluation and grant
reporting.
Dynamic Route Optimization Software

• Utilizing the real-time data, the system will intelligently

optimize waste collection routes.
• Algorithmic Route Planning: Sophisticated algorithms will
consider bin fill levels, traffic conditions, and
vehicle capacity to generate the most efficient daily
collection routes.
• Dynamic Adjustments: Routes can be dynamically adjusted
throughout the day based on new data, unexpected events,
or urgent collection needs.
• Mobile Application for Drivers: Collection crews will
receive optimized routes and real-time updates via a
dedicated mobile application, streamlining their
operations.
 Citizen Engagement Portal and
Reporting Mechanism
To foster community involvement, the project will include a
citizen-facing component.
• Mobile App for Residents: A user-friendly mobile
application will allow citizens to report overflowing bins,
request special collections, and access information about
local recycling programs.
• Feedback Loops: The portal will
facilitate communication between citizens and the waste
management department, enhancing transparency and
responsiveness.
• Educational Resources: The app can also host educational
content on waste reduction, recycling best practices, and
the benefits of the smart waste management system.