Trends And Problems of Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries: A Case Study in Seven ‎‎Palestinian Districts | An-Najah Staff

Trends And Problems of Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries: A Case Study in Seven ‎‎Palestinian Districts

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Tue, 2015-03-24 14:51 — Hassan Arafat

Journal Title, Volume, Page:

Waste Management Volume 27, Issue 12, Pages 1910–1919

Year of Publication:

2007

Link:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956053X06003345

Authors:

Hassan A. Arafat

Chemical Engineering Department, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine

Current Affiliation:

Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine

[email protected]

Issam A. Al-Khatib

Institute of Community and Public Health and Faculty of Engineering, Birzeit University, Ramallah, Occupied Palestinian Territory

Thabet Basheer

College of Graduate Studies, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine

Hadeel Shawahneh

College of Graduate Studies, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine

Ammar Salahat

College of Graduate Studies, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine

Jaafar Eid

College of Graduate Studies, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine

Wasif Ali

College of Graduate Studies, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine

Preferred Abstract (Original):

There is a great interest in solving problems related to municipal solid waste (MSW) management in the Palestinian territory. However, few studies have been done to assess the extent of these problems and suggest the best alternative solutions. This study aims at assessing MSW conditions in the seven major districts in northern West Bank, Palestinian territory. The study focuses on comparing several MSW management elements (such as collection, budget, and disposal) in municipalities, village councils, and refugee camps in the studied districts and the problems faced by these institutions in handling the waste. It also provides information on MSW collection service availability and waste disposal practices in the districts studied.

It was found that, although MSW collection service was available for 98% of the residents in the areas surveyed, no proper treatment or landfill procedure was followed for the collected waste in most of these areas. Instead, waste burning in open dumpsites was the most common practice. Moreover, due to inefficient collection of waste disposal fees from the residents, municipalities were forced to sometimes cut the collection service and reduce its labor force, especially in villages. The budget for MSW management was between 2% and 8% of the total budget of the municipalities studied, indicating a low priority for this issue.