Sustainable Solid Waste Management in Rural Areas

ABSTRACT: In this paper we have studied solid waste management in a cluster of villages near Tekanpur area on NH-75. The study is based on a cluster of six villages. Our study shows that about 287gms of residential/agriculture solid waste per capita is generated in these villages every day. We found that street sweeping, grass cutting, agricultural waste, cattle dung, drain and public toilet cleaning contribute most to waste generation in these villages. Most common practices of waste processing are uncontrolled dumping which causes mainly water and soil pollution. The qualities of both solid & liquid wastes are increasing and if the wastes are disposed in an uncontrolled manner these may cause adverse impact on public health & environment. Therefore, the solid wastages are still a major problem in these rural areas. To overcome these problems, we have proposed to implement vermicomposting. Key words: Solid waste, vermicomposting, liquid wastes