Urban solid waste management in the developing world with emphasis on India: challenges and opportunities

Management of municipal solid waste is a global problem and is faced by all developing countries. The rapid pace of increase in population, economic growth, urbanization and industrialization is coupled with accelerated solid waste generation. In most of the developing countries wastes are either scattered in urban centers or disposed off unplanned in low lying areas or open dumps. The lack of infrastructure for collection, transportation, treatment and disposal of solid waste, proper solid waste management planning, insufficient financial resources, technical expertise and public attitude have made the situation exasperating due to which several environmental and health related problems are increasing. Though, there are many negative issues related to solid waste, it also provides many opportunities that not only mitigates its negative impact but also helps in meeting the demand for energy and employment generation as well as in soil health improvement. Keeping in mind the present situation the current review was planned with the objective to overlook the challenges and opportunities faced during urban solid waste management in developing countries like India.