Our waste, our responsibility

We must remember that our successes and failures in managing waste mirror the society we live in.

Solid waste management (SWM) is a significant challenge for municipalities in Nepal, including those in Kathmandu Valley. The situation is getting worse, as the volume of solid waste has increased over the past few years in the municipalities of the valley due to rapid urbanisation and economic development. A study I conducted in 2022 showed that 18 valley municipalities generate over 1262 tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) per day, which equals 25 percent of the total MSW in Nepal. Moreover, 15 percent remains uncollected in the valley. The Banchare Danda landfill site, which was designed to dispose of only residual waste, is in operation. Around 25-30 percent of total MSW, collected in mixed form, goes there at present due to the absence of basic facilities for waste treatment, recycling and recovery, aided by a deeply rooted misperception of the public about waste.