Sustainable Municipal Solid Waste Management (Case Study: Sarab County, Iran)

Due to rapid population growth and industrial development in Iran, problems arising from increased generation of solid waste and its subsequent physical and chemical changes are foreseeable in the near future. Existing waste collection and disposal systems will not be able to meet the needs of sustainable waste management. In Iran, the collection, disposal, recycling and solid waste management have significant differences with other countries regarding the type and quality of waste. Applying technology without knowledge of the waste materials and adaptation to local factors is not worthwhile. In other words, when proposing a proper waste management plan it is necessary to identify the current situation of the area and the appropriate method should be adopted. Study ahead as a descriptive approach aims at examination of the potential ways for management of municipal solid waste in a sustainable manner. In the meantime, Sarab County, Iran, was selected as a case study. The county, with an area of 18.3 km 2 , is 59.7% of the total area of East Azerbaijan Province. In current circumstances, the cities of Sarab County produce approximately 49 tons of solid waste each day. The physical composition of the produced solid waste consists of 79% wet and 21% dry waste, respectively, collected and disposed in an unsanitary manner. Contamination of natural resources cannot be far from our minds. Potential ways of managing such a waste problem in developing countries are discussed. Permanent URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2047/d20001168