Overview of waste disposal and landfills/dumps in Asian countries

Abstract

Many cities in developing Asian countries face serious problems in managing solid wastes. The annual waste generation increases in proportion to the rises in population and urbanization. Asian countries with greater rural populations produce more organic waste, such as kitchen wastes, and fewer recyclable items, such as paper, metals, and plastics. Reliable data on solid waste compositions are difficult to obtain, and even if available, they are often not updated. We report the most recent waste composition data in some developing Asian countries. We suggest that a better classification system for landfills is needed to address inconsistencies in data for sanitary landfill sites versus waste dumps. We also discuss the information on waste disposal trends and problems associated with general solid waste management in developing Asian countries.