Way Forward To Sustainable Municipal Waste Management: Appraisal Of Development Of Waste Transfer Station In Islamabad

Abstract

Development of intermediate waste transfer station has crucial position in sustainable municipal waste management system. This research paper is aimed at appraisal of development of waste transfer station in Islamabad relying on international parameters. Methodology applied in this research entangles semi-structured questionnaire survey, in-depth interviews of Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad sanitation staff, waste management experts, academia, waste sorters, waste contractors and widespread literature view. Waste transfer station in Islamabad has been developed as a temporary arrangement in the vicinity of residential settlement and busiest wholesale market. The existing intermediate waste transfer station suffers from limited waste handling capacity, lack of technical arrangements for efficient monitoring and handling of environmental consequences during the unloading and shifting of waste to haulers, facilities relating to environmentally safe operation and inaccessibility to above eighty percent of capital area. As divulged by policy makers in Capital Development Authority, development of three waste transfer stations is in process. However, proposal for one waste transfer station has been spurned by Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency being no-compliant to international waste transfer station parameters primarily associated with close proximity to settlements and inappropriate access to the site and consequent environmental adverse impacts. Parallel to the assessment of present waste transfer station development, this paper insinuates benchmarks for development of waste transfer stations compatible with environmental considerations and sustainability.