In early 1950, the solid waste was locally managed based on the traditional systems. The use of buff ribs as waste management tool was most common and magnificent.


Haphazard Waste dump along the Container

Most people had their own vacant land where they could manage the west in a pit (Newari termed Saga and Nepali termed Rachhan). Even in the core city area where free space is often scars, people were having their community pit. With the prevailing traditional fooding habit, almost all the waste was of organic in nature, only small amounts were being disposed as well as almost everything was reused, recycled or assimilated into the soil. The organic waste easily biodegradable was either used as animal feed or widely recycled into the compost manure.

But, in due course of time in early 1980s, the initiation of Solid Waste Management Project funded by GTZ brought vast changes in the previous system of waste management and led to changes haphazard disposal and dumping in streets and nearby open spaces. The most common area at the city was installed waste collection container but people ware not so much fond of disposing the waste in the prominent containers. Hence, it spreads along the container. At this situation it is pertinent to express that the new system for the waste management was having inadequate vision in the development of infrastructure.

The people accustomed to the tradition were unaware of the growth of problems, and carefree about damage and hazards of the waste. The municipalities of Nepal allowed the waste problem to occur over time due to lack of appropriate knowledge, skilled capacity to handle the complexity of solid waste. During the course of assessment of the solid waste scenario the major issues were identified as inefficiency in collection and disposal of waste by local authorities are encouragement for indiscriminate dumping in public places as streets and open spaces. Over the time, the solid waste management has grown to be big environmental problems for Nepal.

Waste dumped in a street


Waste dumped at river side

The effects of environmental degradation caused by solid waste management are diversed including (a) poor public health, (b) adverse impact to the tourism, (c) decay of cultural heritage, (d) declining trend of productivity, (e) loss of amenities, (f) additional hardship for poor, (g) reducing property values, (h) land, water, and air pollution, (i) damage to urban infrastructure, (j) aesthetic damage, (k) economic loss among others and (l) suspected pollution of wells water.