Efficient and effective solid waste management system for Galle Municipality

Abstract

The current solid waste management system in the Galle municipality is full of loopholes. Source separation is hardly practiced and unsorted solid waste is dumped on a semi-controlled landfill. Hence in this study, solid waste samples collected from 14 wards were analyzed; the current solid waste management system was studied carefully, and a questionnaire survey was conducted among 100 households. The results were used to develop a solid waste management plan based on the six functional elements of the integrated solid waste management. The study revealed that the solid waste was mostly organic with the highest percentage as 93.8. There was a decrease in the organic content and an increase of the polythene, paper and plastic content when compared to those in year 2005 and 2006. The moisture content was higher than the solid content. The highest calorific value was 18 MJ/kg, while the calorific values of normal fuels are higher than 45 MJ/kg. Thus the waste cannot be directly used for fuel generation. The moisture content of the composting piles remained less than 40 % for the entire composting run of 8 weeks. This had led harmful fungus to grow. The reduction of volatile solid content in the composting piles was from 72.8% to 31.3%. The key suggestions are source separation, introduction of composting and anaerobic digestion for all the biodegradable waste, introduction of recycling options for recyclables and an engineered landfill for the inert matter.