Management Aspects: Planning, Institutional, and Financial Aspects

Institution and financial aspects are important component of solid waste management (SWM) without goals of solid waste cannot be achieved. The challenges in orienting an institution for proper SWM are many as there will be internal and external resistance in urban local bodies to adopt a new way of life. The internal resistance will be to accept new responsibility in addition to existing workload. SWM is a responsibility of local bodies with the involvement of central/federal government in waste services which will be usually restricted to regulatory oversight or subsidies. Around 70% of waste services around the world are overseen directly by local bodies, with other 30% dealt with other levels of governments, private agencies, mixed public–private entities, or intermunicipal arrangements. Around 50% of services are operated by public entities while one-third of services, from collection to treatment and disposal are operated by mixed public–private partnerships. The private sector is usually engaged for collection, treatment, and disposal, which usually lasts less than 10 years. Nearly two-thirds of nations across the globe have created law for SWM, though enforcement may show a discrepancy. Nearly, 70% of the countries have established institutions with responsibilities for policy development in addition to regulatory oversight in the waste sector. Systematic reporting on waste policies data is mostly limited to high-income nations and some middle-income nations. The key external resistance will be paying user fees without which stakeholders would not mind adapting to improved quality of life. But every service will come with a cost. Most of the time, SWM is not provided by philanthropic institutions/individuals as it is not acknowledged in long term and sustainable. Even though loans and grants are provided by international agencies, it will not be provided for ever. This chapter discusses the institutional and financial aspects with respect to SWM.