The document discusses solid waste management challenges in Pakistan. It notes that solid waste generation is growing at 2.4% annually and averages 0.61 kg/person/day in cities. Food waste makes up 21.7% of solid waste composition on average. Most waste is improperly disposed through open dumping or burning. Only 52-69% of waste is collected in cities. The government aims to improve management through policies and a hospital waste plan, but more regulations and programs are still needed, especially in smaller towns. One example project piloted participatory management in a town through community organization, education, and improved collection infrastructure.

1. Pro-poor and Sustainable Solid Waste
Management for Secondary Cities and Small
Towns
Saadullah Ayaz
IUCN Pakistan
IUCN- International Union for Conservation of Nature

2. Solid Waste Management Situation~
main challenges in urban areas of Pakistan?
Solid Waste generation in Pak
(Source: Ministry of Environment 2004)
Total Production= 20.024 million tones/ year
or 59 thousand tones/ day (approx)
(discluding 3% hazardous waste)
Per capita= 0.61 kg/ day (average for cities)
0.23 kg/capita/day (avg. sub- urban and rural areas)
Growth rate= 2.4% per year (approx)
IUCN- International Union for Conservation of Nature

3. Waste composition (% weight)
(sample: 6 cities Karachi, Hyderabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta)
(Source: Ministry of Environment 2004)
Type of Solid waste Percentage by weight
Food waste (kitchen garbage, vegetables, fruits) 21.7
Yard waste (braches/ twigs, leaves/ grass) 17.1
Animal waste 9.1
Soil/ rubble 9.2
Textile based material 7.4
Plastics (all types) 7.1
Glass 6.27
Paper 6.0
Rubber (tyres, gaskets, old footwear) 5.3
Wood (lumber, wood products/ residue) 3.2
Hospital waste 2.1
Ferrous metal (iron, steel, tins) 1.8
Non- ferrous metal (aluminum, copper, brass, lead) <1
Bones and ash <1
Ceramics <1
Other waste <1
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4. Methods for Disposal
Average taken of five cities
Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi/ Islamabad and Peshawar
(Source: Ministry of Environment 2004)
Practice Percentage by weight
MSW brought to designated dumping site 28.6
Garbage thrown in open spaces 27.8
Dumped in or near water bodies/ drainage 16.3
Rubbish burned in the open 10.4
Collected recyclables 7.23
Composting (formal and informal) 5. 21
Brought to a sanitary landfill (Lahore only) 4.20
Collection coverage
52- 69 percent in cities
3-9.4 percent in sub- urban and rural areas
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5. Recycling Situation/ Industry
- Almost 20-30 percent of solid waste in Pakistan is recycled
- Recycling is done informally and not regulated anywhere in Pakistan~
no basic recycling rules available
- Mostly done by scavengers, who sell these recyclables of scrap
merchants
- No formal recycling industry exists, these material are recycled as
additional raw material by production industry (small industry)
- Major recycled items include; paper, plastic, glass, metal (iron,
aluminum, lead)
- Rubber/ tyres are used as additive fuel in brick kiln industry
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6. Government of Pakistan Policies and Programmes
on Solid Waste Management
National Environmental Policy, Gov. of Pakistan (2005) Clause 3.3
states “solid waste may be prevented and reduced) and proposes;
a. Strict enforcement of National Environmental Quality Standards and
Monitoring and Reporting System,
g. Encourage reduction, recycling and reusing of Municipal Solid Waste,
i. Develop and enforce rules and regulations for proper management of
municipal, hazardous and hospital waste,
Programme: Ministry of Health, Gov. of Pakistan launched a waste
management plan (May 2009) for hospital waste in all provinces of Pakistan
with cost of PKR. 1.6 Billion
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7. CDM project in in Pakistan (SWM)
(only One)
Composting of Organic Content of Municipal Solid Waste in
Lahore, Pakistan
Methodology: Approved baseline and monitoring methodology
AM0025 version 9. Titled “Avoided emissions from
organic waste through alternative waste treatment
processes”
Objectives:
- Produce organic fertilizer from solid municipal organic waste through state
of the art aerobic windrow type composting technology.
- To help in achieving the objectives of combating climate change under
UNFCCC by reducing significant amount of greenhouse gas (Methane)
emissions and contributes to the regional and national sustainable
development.
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8. Host Country Approval: August 2008
Project Owner: Lahore Compost (Pvt) Limited
Project Sponsors: Lahore Compost (Pvt) Limited
IBRD as trustee of the Danish Carbon Fund
Saif Holdings Limited
Cost: US$ 5.5 million
Emission reduction: 7844 tones CO2 eqv./ year
Carbon buyers: Open market+ Danish Carbon Fund+ World Bank
Current status: under registration with UNFCCC, Executive Board
IUCN- International Union for Conservation of Nature

9. Sustainability/ Social benefits of the project:
- Reduce GHG emissions
- Production of cheap organic fertilizer ~ agriculture development
- Transfer of modern technology (state of art Menart technology)
- Increases skilled labor opportunities (about 80 full-time jobs)
- Improving the environment quality of Lahore city
IUCN- International Union for Conservation of Nature

10. Examples of innovative approaches in SWM
Pilot on “Participatory Solid Waste Management” under Project
‘Building Coalitions for Change to Implement Pro-Poor Environmental
Fiscal Reforms (EFR)’ (IUCN 2009)
Target area: Nawanshehr town, district Abbottabad
Objective: Development and operationalization of a Participatory Solid
Waste Management System for Pro- poor Fiscal Reforms
Components:
i. Social Mobilization: dialogue with community groups, youth
associations, shopkeepers, school children and
women folks,Operationalization of a Youth Forum
Citizens’ seminar, targeted meetings, door to door
campaign, distribution of awareness raising material
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11. ii. Social Organization
62 community activists (male and female) involved, trained in PSWM
Environmental Committees in 7 hamlets constituted (headed by lane
manger and supported by community activists)
Trainings imparted on waste collection/ disposal, collectables/
recyclables, compositing/ kitchen gardening, route planning for waste
collection, dumping after 24 hrs.
iii. Improved measures for primary collection
9 beads developed (comprising of 100- 120 houses)
Privately hired community waste collectors in 9 hamlets
Improved outturn/ equipment of waste collectors (including safety gear)
practice of dumping after 24 hrs.
IUCN- International Union for Conservation of Nature

12. iv. Improved secondary collection system
Route planning for collection, preparation of area maps
Improved tools/ equipment
Modern properly designated permanent waste dumping sites (09)
Improvisation of waste dumping trolley for efficiency (hydraulic system)
v. Introduction of Pro- Poor Fiscal Instruments in SWM
Revenue generation from recyclables in 7 schools
Community hired waste collector (paid through contribution)
Composting practice/ kitchen gardening (total 19)
Regulation of waste merchants (18 Nos.) tax being paid to local
administration
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13. Mobilization through Seminars
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14. Training Community activists
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15. School children in collection of recyclables
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16. Kitchen gardening (from Compost)
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17. Improved door- to door collection,
improved tools and turn out of sanitary workers
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18. New concreted collection points
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19. New hydraulic dumping trolley
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20. Results
IUCN- International Union for Conservation of Nature

21. For more information, please contact:
Saadullah Ayaz
Climate Change Coordinator
IUCN Pakistan
Tel: +92 (51) 2271028- 30
Email: saad.ayaz@iucn.org
IUCN- International Union for Conservation of Nature