Assessment of Solid Waste Management Practices in Shillong, Meghalaya

Solid waste management is now a crucial component of the environmental crisis. It is crucial to comprehend the structure of the management system and to deal with the trash produced in a sustainable way, especially in nations like India where solid waste is produced in tons. The existing situation, difficulties, and possible solutions are studied in this paper, which also offers suggestions for improving the management system in Shillong, Meghalaya. Currently, the city of Shillong produces 174.67 MT of solid trash. A major barrier to clean India, the green India movement is the fact that only 41% of the trash generated overall is appropriately eliminated. The amount of waste produced daily per person is roughly 800 kg. Traffic congestion is frequently caused by a lack of road space, and moving rubbish from one location to another is particularly difficult. Other main concerns include poor traffic management, environmental pollution, parking issues, overpopulation, and a lack of pedestrian facilities. Transfer stations are necessary for the correct handling of trash. Approximately 62% of the waste produced is biodegradable. The planned intense activity of segregation at the source at both the residential and institutional levels is the best strategy to get toward a decentralized disposal facility in a sustainable manner. The neighboring water sources are being contaminated by the dump site, which has been in operation for roughly 75 years. The fact that the garbage produced is not properly managed and eventually makes its way into the Umiam Lake, Umkhrah, and Umshyrpi Lake raises major environmental concerns. To address this problem, weirs and solid waste traps can be constructed in the discharge locations. This essay will give readers a better grasp of the problems with the city’s current solid waste management system as well as some potential fixes.