Municipal Solid Waste Management: A Case Study of Phursungi Plant, Pune

Solid-waste management is a major challenge in urban areas throughout the world. Solid waste management is associated with controlling the generation, storage, collection, transfer and transport, processing and disposal of solid wastes in a manner that is in accordance with the best principles of sustainability. It includes all administrative, financial, legal, planning and engineering functions involved in the solutions. The present case study is based on one of such solid waste treatment plants located at Phursungi, Pune. The plant is using multiproduct recycling and waste minimization (MPRWM) techniques. The principle of the process is to extract usable, commercially viable end products out of the municipal solid waste (MSW) and create a processed remnant of less than 20% of the input volume, for the landfills. The people are demanding to shift the plant elsewhere to maintain healthy conditions in the area. It is now well understood that the plant have already completed its waste dumping potential and the rapid growing housing patterns surrounding to it making the problems more complex. Many experts have already recommended the shifting of garbage dump site to some other area. We suggest that an integrated solid waste management with sustainable approach is the final way necessary for waste management. Waste should not be treated as a waste, it should be considered as a resource as it is able to sustain part of living needs. We also urge for strict legislative efforts and effective implementation by active participation of people. Active involvement of public and private agencies is vital for the safe and meaningful management of solid wastes. Keyword: Municipal solid waste, management, treatment, conservation, sustainable approach, legal efforts