Urban Governance, Urbanization and Informal Sector in Solid Waste Management: A Case of Kathmandu, Nepal

With the rising number of world population living in urban areas and the changing consumption habits, solid waste management has become a predominant urban problem. The problem is further compounded in urban areas of Global South where rapid unplanned urbanization has brought forward the issue of poor basic urban services like water supply, solid waste management, energy supply and transport. The rapid urban growth taking place in capital of Nepal, Kathmandu and the burgeoning solid waste management challenge in the metropolitan is a representative case put forward by this dissertation. Solid waste management in Kathmandu is limited to collection and disposal with minimum consideration on ground to move from current disposal-oriented practices towards resource management-based approach. The existing government structure is struggling to provide waste services to the growing number of urban residents and does not have capacity to diversify solid waste management practices and move towards circular economy in waste. The inability to provide waste services to all residents and its non-compliance to solid waste management regulations indicate the weak government structure. This demands for the exploration of each actor and their engagement in solid waste management, for which the concept of solid waste governance is taken as an entry point. More specifically the governance aspect of integrated solid waste management framework is taken as a first step to investigate the situation. In addition, physical aspects as put forward by the integrated solid waste management framework such as storage, collection, reduce, reuse, recycle, recover, transportation and disposal are touched upon while delving into the everyday operations of waste management. The governance aspect of the framework focuses on achieving actor inclusivity, financial sustainability with sound institutions and proactive policies for attaining integrated solid waste management. The integrated framework arose out of the need for the recognition of actors both formal and informal contributing to waste systems. It also marks for attaining financial sustainability with comprehensive institutions for implementing waste related policies. It embarks for a shift away from the state centric to an integrated approach for waste management