Component:

Implementing Agency: Sub Implementing Agency: Supported by:

Community Based Urban Solid Waste Management in Dhaka Under the Sustainable Environment Management Programme (SEMP)

Ministry of Environment and Forest,Government of BangladeshWaste Concern

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

waste is resource...waste is resource...

SEMP

Background

Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is one of the fastest growing mega cities of the world,

with present estimated population of 5.5 million in the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) area

while the population of the mega city stands at more than 10 million. Half of whom live in

slums and squatter settlements with no access to water, sanitation or waste disposal.

Rapid growth of population, increasing urbanization and growing economic activities have

all contributed to generation of huge amount of solid waste in Dhaka. Everyday the

population of DCC area produces 3200-3500 tons of garbage only 42% of which is

collected by DCC and disposed off in open crude landfill site. As a result uncollected waste

lies on road sides, open drains, low lying areas, thus contributing to the deteriorating

quality of life and environment of the city. At present DCC spends about US$ 38 to manage

1 ton of waste which includes collection, transportation and crude disposal of waste.

Problems Related to Unmanaged Waste in Dhaka

! Waste generation increasing rapidly;

! Inadequate waste collection;

! Shortage of land for final disposal of waste;

! Unsanitary method of waste disposal polluting the environment and creating health hazards;

! Can cause more than 40 diseases;

! Polluting surface water, ground water, soil and air;

! Emitting Green House Gas (GHG) from crude dumping sites;

! Organic waste is left unutilized;

! Lack of awareness among the citizens; and

! Depletion of organic matter in the soil

Increasing Urban Waste Generation in Bangladesh

Year ton/day

1995: 10,742 2001: 17,000 2025: 47,064

To improve the present solid waste management situation, in 1998, Community Based Urban Solid Waste Management in Dhaka (component 3.3.2) under the Sustainable Environment Management Progromme (SEMP) was initiated by the Ministry of Envioronment and Forest of the Government of Bangladesh with the support from UNDP. Waste Concern has been working as a Sub-Implementing Agency (SIA) under the programme.

Why Composting?

! High organic matter (more than 80%), suitable moisture content and low calorific value of waste makes composting viable;

! Composting can enhance the life of landfill by reducing the volume of waste. At present Dhaka has only 1 (one) official dumping site at Matuail which, within a year's time will be filled up;

! Composting can create new jobs for the poor unemployed labor force in the city

! There is a heavy demand for compost by the farmers. Organic matter depletion from the soil in rural areas demands replenishment. 82.90% of soils in Bangladesh has less than 3.5% organic matter (more than 3.5% is considered to be good soil); and

! Composting can reduce green house gas and attract investments from developed countries.

Marketing of CompostPromotion of Organic Farming

Training, Awareness RaisingPromotion of 4Rs(reduce, reuse, recycleand recovery)

House to HouseWaste Collection

DecentralizedComposting

45%

17%

21%

17%

88.88

11.12

68.67

31.33

64.91

35.09

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Mixed Used Area Residential Commercial

Compostable

Others

Very low (<1.0%)

Low (1.1%-1.7%)

Medium (1.71-3.50)

High (3.5%)

Composition of Waste of Dhaka City

Organic Matter Content of Agricultural Land in Bangladesh

Objective of the Project

Waste Concern's Approach

Promote simple, low-cost technology, which is suitable for the local condition of Bangladesh. There are three major steps in the approach, they are 1. Collection of waste,2. Composting,3. Marketing of compost.While carrying out these activities we are promoting organic farming, providing hands-on training to communities on composting, promoting 4 R’s principle to segregate and reduce waste at the source.Under this partnership approach Government is providing land free of cost for the compost plants, communities are paying for the house to house waste collection services, private sector is marketing the compost product.

Our Approach…..! The existing physical plan and socio-economic situation of Dhaka strongly suggests

decentralization of the composting system. Some of the reasons are:

! Decentralized composting system is labor intensive and less costly compared to the centralized one.

! It is well suited for our waste stream, climate, social and economic conditions.

! Low cost and easily available local materials along with labor intensive technology used.

! Improves community participation in source-separation and reduces the volume of solid waste at the source more effectively.

! Significant improvement can be achieved at the collection points of solid waste

! It reduces the costs incurred for collection, transportation and disposal of waste by municipal authorities

! Development of a community based solid waste management model with emphasis on recycling and resource recovery.

! Development of public-private-community partnerships in solid waste management & recycling for improved urban environmental sanitation.

! Creation of job opportunities for the neglected poor (especially women) by involving them in waste recycling activities.

! Provide input for replication and policy reform.

Why Decentralized Composting?

Collected waste is separated and sorted at the composting

plant and processed into compost using aerobic

techniques. Compostable organic waste is heaped into

piles (under a covered shed), which allows the beneficial

microorganisms to decompose the organic waste

efficiently. The, shed protects the compost workers from

rain and heat of the sun. Pile temperature of 55-65 degree

Celsius is optimum for aerobic composting. In tropical

countries, it is likely for the piles to reach excessively high 0 temperature. Temperature above 50 C for more than 7

days during the aerobic composting process kills

pathogens and weed and makes the compost product

sanitized and safe. Carbon: Nitrogen ratio of 35 to 50 is

optimum for aerobic composting. The Carbon: Nitrogen

ratio of solid waste is slightly higher (carbon 22.6% and

nitrogen 0.41%) in Dhaka. In this project, Waste Concern

uses chicken and cattle manure to optimize the nitrogen

content and overcome deficiency, if any. Sawdust/Bokashi

(Sawdust enriched with effective micro organism) is used

to reduce odor and accelerate the composting process.

The composting process requires 40 days for

decomposition and another 10-15 days for maturing. After

maturing, the compost is screened for different grades and

packed for marketing.

For a 3 ton/day capacity plant

! 6 Workers for Collection waste

! 10 workers for Composting Process

! Daily House-to-house Collection

! 1430 households

! Capacity of Rickshaw Van= 1.18 cu. m

! Can produce 600 kg of compost every day

Composting Process

Collection

Composting

Marketting

Local Market

Transport to Dumpsite

Recyclables 6%

Rejects 14%

Screening

Sorting

PilingOrganic Fraction 80%

Composting

Maturing

Cow dung/ Chicken Excreta

Sawdust/ Bokashi

Screening residue

Water

Selling

Bagging

Collection Process

Under this project Waste Concern is promoting 3 (three) types of composting (aerobic) methods, they are:

1. Aerator Type Composing:

This method is similar to windrow method of composting, to obtain sufficient oxygen, here piles are aerated passively through bamboo aerators.

2. Box Type Composting:

This method is very similar to windrow method of composting except that frequent turning of piles is not required for aeration. Here rectangular box with perforations in four walls and bottom with proper drainage system is used to obtain sufficient oxygen for the piles. Compared to Aerator Type method, this method requires higher initial investment but needs less labor cost as frequent turning is not necessary under this method.

3. Barrel Type Composting:

This method is designed for the poor residing in space constrained slums and squatter settlements without proper solid waste management service from the municipalities / city corporations.

Technology Used

Collection

Private Sector distributes

compost to the farmers

Aerobic Composting

Factors Affecting Composting process:

! Carbon/Nitrogen ratio

! Amount of surface area exposed

! Moisture

! Aeration

! Temperature

Under this project, Waste Concern is also promoting barrel type composting methods for the slums and squatter settlements. A specially designed 200 litre perforated (all sides and bottom) green colored barrel with a cinical cover on the top and concrete base at the bottom is used for this method. One green barrel is provided to a group of five to six households. The cost of each specially designed barrel along with the civil work is around TK.1200 (US $20). Here waste is decomposed aerobically into compost within 3 to 4 months. Slum dwellers are motivated to dispose their inorganic waste in the yellow barrel, which is subsequently carried to nearby DCC dustbins, for final disposal. The households sharing the barrel can also share the income from sale proceeds of the compost and cost of one compost barrel can be recovered within a 2 years time period. Compost worth between Tk.600-Tk.700 (US $ 10-11) can be produced each year. This model is successful in achieving a behavioral change by minimizing littering of waste in the slum, improved the environment and created a source of income for the poor slum dwellers.

Barrel Type Composting for the Slums

Capacity of Composting Plants Items

3 ton/day

10 ton/day

20 ton/day Land Required / Plant (Katha) 7 20 35 Fixed Cost / Plant * (Tk) 1,008,000 2,880,000 5,040,000 Operating Cost /Plant**(Tk) 300,000 1,000,000 2,000,000 Total Labors / Plant *** 4 12 25 Compost Produced ( Daily) 750kg 2500kg 5000kg Expected Revenue from Sale of Compost**** (Tk)

600,000 2,000,000 4,000,000

Expected Revenue from Sale of CERs*****/ Year

205,312 684,375 1,368,750

Pay Back Period 2 Years 1.71 Years 1.5

* Without Land Cost / Rent

** Operating Cost Per Year Including Salary of Plant Manager

*** Labors Required for Composting Purpose only

**** From 1 ton of organic waste 250 kg of fine compost can be produced

***** CER means certified emission reduction (which is reduction of methane gas by composting). The methane gas

reduced by composting can be sold at a price of US 6/ton using CDM mechanism)

Aerator Type Composting Box Type Composting

Screening Bagging Selling

Cost of Different Sizes of Composting Plant

Marketing by Private Sector

There is a good market for compost in Bangladesh. Waste Concern helps the communities sell their compost to a number of businesses, such as fertilizer companies and plant nurseries. Waste Concern has been requested to install more community-based compost plants to meet the growing demand for enriched compost. Map Agro is purchasing raw compost of 8 mm. size from the compost plants of Waste Concern which is later grinded, enriched with nutrients and bagged for marketing by Alfa Agro all over Bangladesh.

Experience shows that compost enriched with balanced nutrients can gradually replace the indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizer in agriculture. Application results of compost enriched with nutrient (based on crop and soil type) are shown below.

! Reduces the use of chemical fertilizer up to 30%

! Increases per hectare yield by 30%- 50% has been found in demonstration plots.

! Returns the organic matter to the soil.

Private sector Map Agro has invested US $ 50,000 for its compost enrichment plant. Waste Concern at present selling its compost at a price ranging from Tk. 2.5 to Tk. 5.0 (US$ .047-.092). At present there is a demand for 50,000 tons of compost every year by only one private sector. Estimates shows that by composting all the organic waste generated in the urban areas of Bangladesh, can capture only 21% of the present chemical fertilizer market (chemical fertilizer market is 4 million tons every year)

Organic farming

Marketi

ng

Enrichment of compost by private sector

Raw Compost (8 mm) Raw Compost (4 mm) Granular Enriched Bagging of Compost

Impact Of The ProjectIm

pact

Of The P

roje

ct COMMUNITIES ARE CLEANER AND HEALTHIER

Increase in public awareness on waste management and enhanced property value due to Clean Neighborhood

Comparison of Land Requirement With and Without

Composting

in Dhaka

110

16.5 20

0

50

100

150

Land Required Per

Year for Disposal of

Waste

Land Required Per

Year for Disposal of

Waste ( with

composting)

Land Required For

Setting up of

Decentarlized

Composting Plants

Ha

GENERATES EMPLOYMENT FOR THE URBAN POOR (Specially women)Gives better working environment and can create 90,000 new jobs for the urban poor of Bangladesh

SAVES MONEY AND LANDFILL AREA FOR LOCAL AUTORITYCan significantly reduces solid waste management cost and more than 75% of the land can be saved by DCC

REDUCES THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF CHEMICAL FERTILIZERPrivate Sector is marketing a environment friendly product and making profit

Before After

Before After

Before After

Lessons Learned And Replicability

! Waste can be efficiently and effectively managed through public-private and community partnership, where all the partners are linked in closed benefit loop.

! Scaling-up of the activity can save significant amount of money and landfill area (75% of the land can be saved) in highly dense city like Dhaka.

! With support from UNICEF, Department of Public Health and Engineering replicated this model in 14 different cities and municipalities of Bangladesh.

! Altogether 39 replications are going on in 20 cities and town of Bangladesh by NGOs, private sectors and government.

! South African Government also showed interest to replicate this model in their poor communities.

! It has a strong linkage with MDG 1,3 and 7 and is in line with the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) of the government and fulfills sustainable development criterion for CDM.

Contact Address:

Waste ConcernHouse:21 (side b), Road:7, Block:G, Banani Model Town, Dhaka 1213, Bangladesh Phone: 88-02-9884774, 9873002, Fax: 88-02-9884774, 9564732, email: wastecon@dhaka.agni.com, office@wasteconcern.orgwww.wasteconcern.org

Remarks

! Waste management has become a major concern and a priority issue for urban cities/towns of Bangladesh and significant support is required for this sector.

! This project received the United Nation’s Race Against Poverty Award 2002

! This project received The Tech Museum Award 2003, USA. This award promotes scientific breakthroughs and technological applications to improve the human condition.

! UNESCAP has selected this project as an Innovative Practice in the field of environmental management.

! Waste Concern has been entrusted by the Government to develop the ‘National Waste Management Policy.

Attracted US $ 10 Million Foreign Direct Investment in Bangladesh using Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)

Using CDM, Waste Concern has prepared a 700 ton/per day capacity compost plant and a Land fill Gas Extraction project

Composting 1 ton of organic waste can reduce ½ tonne of Green House Gas (CO e) every year2

Reducing Green House Gas (GHG)

LINKED IN A CLOSED

BENEFIT LOOP

NGO

COMMUNITYPRIVATESECTOR

PUBLICSECTOR

United Nations Development ProgrammeMs. Shireen Kamal Sayeed, Assistant Resident Representative, UNDPGPO Box 224, Dhaka 1000, BangladeshPhone: 88-02-8118600, Fax: 88-02-8113196e-mail: shireen.sayeed@undp.orgwww.un-bd.org/undp

Regionally, UNESCAP has taken the initiative to replicate the model in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam and Cambodia. Waste Concern is providing technical support to these countries.

This publication is prepared under the project entitled “Community Based Urban Solid Waste Management in Dhaka (Component 3.3.2) under Sustainable Environment Management Program (SEMP), Implemented by the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) with support from United Nations Development Program (UNDP) which is being executed by Waste Concern as a sub-implementing agency.

April, 2005