Characterization and analysis of municipal solid waste generated in the semi-urban region of Thanamandi, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), India: a basis for developing a suitable waste management approach.

Abstract

Population growth, urbanization, lifestyle changes, and consumption patterns increase waste management problems in Thanamandi town. The waste generation rate in Thanamandi town is expanding, and there is a need for adequate waste segregation, recycling programs, and sorting facilities. Therefore, this study aims to estimate the municipal solid waste (MSW) generation rate in Thanamandi town, including an analysis of its composition. Additionally, statistical methods are used to assess the potential MSW management approaches. A comprehensive methodology has been adopted, including house-to-house waste collection from 25 pre-selected locations, to ensure representation across different income groups. The collected waste was segregated into food, plastic, paper, and textile waste categories, and the moisture content was analyzed using the oven-drying method. Further, it has been observed from the obtained result that 0.44 kg per/capita/day of MSW has been generated from the study area. The result shows that vegetable waste contributes the most followed by food waste and plastic. Additionally, the moisture content of the waste ranged between 12% and 76.25%, with high moisture content primarily found in organic wastes. Moreover, interpolation maps created using QGIS highlighted the spatial distribution of waste generation across the town. They showed a strong correlation between vegetable and food waste and paper and plastic waste. Thus, to manage MSW in the study area, a holistic approach to MSW management is necessary to deal with a mixture of Vegetable and Food waste, i.e., organic matter.