Abstract
Solid waste management (SWM) is one of the key responsibilities of city administrators and one of the effective proxies for good governance. Effective SWM mitigates adverse health and environmental impacts, conserves resources, and improves the livability of cities. However, unsustainable SWM practices, exacerbated by rapid urbanization and financial and institutional limitations, negatively impact public health and environmental sustainability. This review article assesses the human and environmental health impacts of SWM practices in the Global South cities that are the future of global urbanization. The study employs desktop research methodology based on in-depth analysis of secondary data and literature, including official documents and published articles. It finds that the commonplace SWM practices include mixing household and commercial garbage with hazardous waste during storage and handling. While waste storage is largely in old or poorly managed facilities such as storage containers, the transportation system is often deficient and informal. The disposal methods are predominantly via uncontrolled dumping, open-air incinerators, and landfills. The negative impacts of such practices include air and water pollution, land degradation, emissions of methane and hazardous leachate, and climate change. These impacts impose significant environmental and public health costs on residents with marginalized social groups mostly affected. The paper concludes with recommendations for mitigating the public and environmental health risks associated with the existing SWM practices in the Global South.
Topics

No keywords indexed for this article. Browse by subject →

References
145
[1]
FAOSTAT (2021, December 14). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Available online: http://faostat3.fao.org/faostat-gateway/go/to/home/E.
[2]
OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) (2003). OECD Environmental Indicators. Development, Measurement and Use, OECD Environment Directorate. Available online: http://www.oecd.org/env/.
[3]
Solid waste management challenges for cities in developing countries

Lilliana Abarca Guerrero, Ger Maas, William Hogland

Waste Management 2013 10.1016/j.wasman.2012.09.008
[4]
World Bank (2021, November 09). Solid Waste Management. Available online: http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/urbandevelopment/brief/solid-waste-management.
[5]
UN-Habitat (2010). Solid Waste Management in The World’s Cities: Water and Sanitation in the World’s Cities 2010, United Nations Human Settlements Programme, Earthscan.
[6]
Hettiarachchi, H., Meegoda, J., and Ryu, S. (2018). Organic Waste Buyback as a Viable Method to Enhance Sustainable Municipal Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 15. 10.3390/ijerph15112483
[7]
Scarlat "Evaluation of energy potential of municipal solid waste from African urban areas" Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. (2015) 10.1016/j.rser.2015.05.067
[8]
Abubakar "Household response to inadequate sewerage and garbage collection services in Abuja, Nigeria" J. Environ. Public Health (2017) 10.1155/2017/5314840
[9]
UN-Habitat (2009). Planning Sustainable Cities. Global Report on Human Settlements, Abridged Edition, United Nations Human Settlements Programme, Earthscan.
[10]
Abul "Environmental and health impact of solid waste disposal at Mangwaneni dumpsite in Manzini: Swaziland" J. Sustain. Dev. Afr. (2010)
[11]
Yang, Q., Fu, L., Liu, X., and Cheng, M. (2018). Evaluating the Efficiency of Municipal Solid Waste Management in China. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 15. 10.3390/ijerph15112448
[12]
Abdul-Aziz, H.M., Isa, O., Kadir, N., Nordin, W., Daud, W., Alsebaei, A., and Abu-Rizaiza, A. (2007). Study of Baseline Data Regarding Solid Waste Management in the Holy City of Makkah during Hajj, The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Institute of the Hajj Research. Unpunished Report.
[13]
Kabera, T., and Nishimwe, H. (2019). Systems Analysis of Municipal Solid Waste Management and Recycling System in East Africa: Benchmarking Performance in Kigali City, Rwanda, EDP Sciences. 10.1051/e3sconf/20198003004
[14]
Abubakar, I.R., and Aina, Y.A. (2016). Achieving sustainable cities in Saudi Arabia: Juggling the competing urbanization challenges. Population Growth and Rapid Urbanization in the Developing World, IGI Global. 10.4018/978-1-5225-0187-9.ch003
[15]
Khan "Biodegradable waste to biogas: Renewable energy option for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia" Int. J. Innov. Appl. Stud. (2013)
[16]
Zafar, S. (2021, February 24). Solid Waste Management in Saudi Arabia. EcoMENA. Available online: http://www.ecomena.org/tag/dammam/.
[17]
Balogun "Digitalization for transformative urbanization, climate change adaptation, and sustainable farming in Africa: Trend, opportunities, and challenges" J. Integr. Environ. Sci. (2022) 10.1080/1943815x.2022.2033791
[18]
Gazzeh, K., Abubakar, I.R., and Hammad, E. (2022). Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Global Flows of People and Goods: Implications on the Dynamics of Urban Systems. Land, 11. 10.3390/land11030429
[19]
Addo "Solid Waste Management and Its Health Implications on the Dwellers of Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana" Curr. Res. J. Soc. Sci. (2015)
[20]
OECD (2008). OECD Key Environmental Indicators 2008, OECD Environment Directorate. Available online: http://www.oecd.org/env/.
[21]
Ojok, J., Koech, M.K., Tole, M., and OkotOkumu, J. (2013). Rate and quantities of household solid waste generated in Kampala City, Uganda. Sci. J. Environ. Eng. Res., 2013.
[22]
World Bank (2021, October 24). New Country Classifications. Available online: http://data.worldbank.org/news/new-country-classifications.
[23]
World Bank (2021, October 24). Urban Solid Waste Management. Available online: http://go.worldbank.org/UJVJUSM6O0.
[24]
Municipal solid waste management in China: Status, problems and challenges

Dong Qing Zhang, Soon Keat Tan, Richard M. Gersberg

Journal of Environmental Management 2010 10.1016/j.jenvman.2010.03.012
[25]
Hoornweg, D., and Giannelli, N. (2007). Managing Municipal Solid Waste in Latin America and the Caribbean: Integrating the Private Sector, Harnessing Incentives, World Bank.
[26]
East Asia and Pacific Urban Development Sector Unit (EASUR) (2005). Waste Management in China: Issues and Recommendations, World Bank. Urban Development Working Papers. Working Paper No. 9, EASUR.
[27]
Manaf "Municipal solid waste management in Malaysia: Practices and challenges" Waste Manag. (2009) 10.1016/j.wasman.2008.07.015
[28]
Saeed "Assessment of municipal solid waste generation and recyclable materials potential in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia" Waste Manag. (2009) 10.1016/j.wasman.2009.02.017
[29]
EA-Sustainable Waste Management Cycle (EA-SWMC) (2021, December 14). EU-Perak Solid Waste Management Plan (EU-PSWMP), August 2009. Available online: www.apo-tokyo.org/publications/files/ind-22-swm.pdf.
[30]
Sustainability assessment of municipal solid waste management in Sri Lanka: problems and prospects

S. N. M. Menikpura, Shabbir H. Gheewala, Sebastien Bonnet

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management 2012 10.1007/s10163-012-0055-z
[31]
Municipal solid waste management in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka: Problems, issues and challenges

Chandana K. Vidanaarachchi, Samuel T.S. Yuen, Sumith Pilapitiya

Waste Management 2006 10.1016/j.wasman.2005.09.013
[32]
Miezah "Municipal solid waste characterization and quantification as a measure towards effective waste management in Ghana" Waste Manag. (2015) 10.1016/j.wasman.2015.09.009
[33]
Hoornweg, D., and Bhada-Tata, P. (2012). What a Waste: A Global Review of Solid Waste Management. Urban Development Series, World Bank. Knowledge Papers No. 15.
[34]
Giusti "A review of waste management practices and their impact on human health" Waste Manag. (2009) 10.1016/j.wasman.2009.03.028
[35]
Batool "The impact of municipal solid waste treatment methods on greenhouse gas emissions in Lahore, Pakistan" Waste Manag. (2009) 10.1016/j.wasman.2008.01.013
[36]
Akmal "Health impact of Solid Waste Management Practices on Household: The case of Metropolitans of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, Pakistan" Heliyon (2021) 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07327
[37]
Ramachandra "Municipal solid waste: Generation, composition and GHG emissions in Bangalore, India" Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. (2018) 10.1016/j.rser.2017.09.085
[38]
Pokhrel "Municipal solid waste management in Nepal: Practices and challenges" Waste Manag. (2005) 10.1016/j.wasman.2005.01.020
[39]
McAllister, J. (2021, November 09). Factors Influencing Solid-Waste Management in the Developing World. All Graduate Plan B and Other Reports. 528. Available online: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/gradreports/528.
[40]
Yousif "Governing solid waste management in Mazatenango, Guatemala: Problems and prospects" Int. Dev. Plan. Rev. (2007) 10.3828/idpr.29.4.2
[41]
Paulo "Solid-waste management in the rural area of Brazil: A case study in Quilombola communities" J. Mater. Cycles Waste Manag. (2018) 10.1007/s10163-018-0722-9
[42]
Dianati "A system dynamics-based scenario analysis of residential solid waste management in Kisumu, Kenya" Sci. Total Environ. (2021) 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146200
[43]
Kadama "Business process re-engineering: A solution for solid waste management in the North West province of South Africa" Int. J. Sustain. Dev. Plan. (2014) 10.2495/sdp-v9-n1-106-118
[44]
Dlamini "Municipal solid waste management in South Africa: From waste to energy recovery through waste-to-energy technologies in Johannesburg" Local Environ. (2019) 10.1080/13549839.2018.1561656
[45]
Owojori, O., Edokpayi, J.N., Mulaudzi, R., and Odiyo, J.O. (2020). Characterisation, recovery and recycling potential of solid waste in a university of a developing economy. Sustainability, 12. 10.3390/su12125111
[46]
Imam "Solid waste management in Abuja, Nigeria" Waste Manag. (2008) 10.1016/j.wasman.2007.01.006
[47]
Mapira "Challenges of Solid Waste Disposal and Management in the City of Masvingo, Zimbabwe" J. Soc. Dev. Afr. (2011)
[48]
Friedrich "Current and future greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the management of municipal solid waste in the eThekwini Municipality—South Africa" J. Clean. Prod. (2016) 10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.05.118
[49]
Simatele "Sustainable solid waste management in developing countries: A study of institutional strengthening for solid waste management in Johannesburg, South Africa" J. Environ. Plan. Manag. (2020) 10.1080/09640568.2019.1576510
[50]
Alfaro "Exploring household willingness to participate in solid waste collection services in Liberia" Habitat Int. (2019) 10.1016/j.habitatint.2019.01.001

Showing 50 of 145 references

Metrics
636
Citations
145
References
Details
Published
Oct 05, 2022
Vol/Issue
19(19)
Pages
12717
License
View
Cite This Article
Ismaila Rimi Abubakar, Khandoker M. Maniruzzaman, Umar Lawal Dano, et al. (2022). Environmental Sustainability Impacts of Solid Waste Management Practices in the Global South. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(19), 12717. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912717
Related

You May Also Like

The Effects of Cadmium Toxicity

Giuseppe Genchi, Maria Stefania Sinicropi · 2020

2,216 citations

Agriculture Development, Pesticide Application and Its Impact on the Environment

Muyesaier Tudi, Huada Daniel Ruan · 2021

2,153 citations

Pesticide Exposure, Safety Issues, and Risk Assessment Indicators

Christos A. Damalas, Ilias G. Eleftherohorinos · 2011

1,959 citations

Waste Mismanagement in Developing Countries: A Review of Global Issues

Navarro Ferronato, Vincenzo Torretta · 2019

1,672 citations