Survey on Arak city waste management system and presenting corrective management solutions

Abstract

Abstract

Introduction: Evaluation of the municipal solid waste (MSW) management system is a necessary subject for promoting urban services. This study was conducted to determine the status of municipal solid waste management system in Arak city in six functional elements of solid waste management and presentation corrective management solutions. Methods and Materials: Necessary data and documents about the current status of Arak MSW management system have been collected through observation, interview, obtaining available data from Arak Municipal Solid Waste Management Organization about the current status of Arak MSW management system and characteristics of generated solid waste. The strengths and weaknesses of this system have been identified in comparison with scientific sources and leading cities in this field. According to conditions of the region and characteristics of the generated solid waste, the selected management scenario is presented based on the hierarchy of integrated solid waste management (ISWM) along with the necessary executive plan and corrective management solutions in a forty-year plan period. Results: Arak MSW management system has its strengths and weaknesses in its six functional elements. The main strengths of Arak MSW management system are the proportion of the volume of daily solid waste generated with the volume of solid waste storage containers, the volume of solid waste collection vehicles, and the volume of solid waste transport vehicles, respectively. Existence of official material recovery facilities (MRFs) and specific place with sufficient capacity for solid waste disposal. The main weaknesses of the system include the lack of solid waste generation management in the region, lack of separate solid waste storage containers, illegal separation of waste components by collection system staff, the existence of informal harvesters and recovery centers in the region, lack of central compost production facilities and undesirable operation of the solid waste disposal site. The components of the selected management scenario include source reduction, source separation/ destination separation, recycling, compost production, and sanitary landfill. Conclusion: Implementation of an integrated municipal solid waste management program based on the selected management scenario in the present study is recommended due to the unfavorable situation of the current MSW management system in Arak city and to modification and upgrade of this system.

Keywords: Arak, Municipal solid waste (MSW) management system, Integrated solid waste management (ISWM).