Local governments unable to deal with plastic waste menace

Plastic wastes, especially packets and bags, are discarded everywhere in public places, fields, farms, forests, mountains, and rivers across the country. However, no local government, which bears the primary responsibility for addressing this issue, has implemented the necessary measures to combat this environmental threat.

The problem of inorganic waste, including plastic pollution, poses a serious threat to farming, wildlife, aquatic life, and the environment in general. This issue is also contributing to climate change and environmental disasters in Nepal.

“No local body has taken serious steps to solve this problem, which endangers all of us and nature,” said officials from the environment section of the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration (MoFAGA). “Efforts to promote waste segregation at the household level have failed because local bodies have not enforced existing laws and regulations.”

The Waste Management Act of 2011 mandates the segregation, recycling, reuse, and management of waste as fundamental rights, akin to education and health. Despite this, local governments, which are primarily responsible for waste management, have done little to address the issue, with only a few exceptions.

A survey conducted in 58 municipalities of Nepal in 2012 found that the average municipal solid waste generation was 317 grams per capita per day, amounting to 1,435 tons daily or 524,000 tons annually. A 2019/20 baseline survey by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) of 271 municipalities revealed that only 12 (4.4 percent) used transfer stations for waste processing.

Additionally, 99 municipalities (36.5 percent) had waste management plans, while 57.2 percent did not. Among the surveyed municipalities, 114 (42.1 percent) used landfill sites, 117 (43.2 percent) did not, and 14.8 percent did not report about their landfill site status.

The CBS survey showed that inorganic waste collected by municipalities includes plastic, glass, rubber, metals, minerals, and other materials, all of which pose a significant environmental threat. Waste management responsibilities, including budget allocation and implementation, fall largely on local governments, as guided by the Local Government Operation Act of 2018. However, 94.8 percent of municipalities reported expecting funds from federal and provincial governments due to resource constraints.

Waste management in the 460 rural municipalities is chaotic, and the CBS survey does not cover these areas. Nepal has 753 local bodies, including six metropolitan cities, 11 sub-metropolitan cities, 276 municipalities, and 460 rural municipalities. Only a few local bodies, such as those in Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Birgunj, have made efforts to address waste problems and improve environmental health.

Local governments have the authority to ban plastic bags and prevent the indiscriminate disposal of plastic waste in public areas. “They could place trash bins in public spaces, markets, and other open areas and strictly enforce anti-littering regulations. However, little has been done to address this problem,” said Joint-Secretary Suman Dahal, chief of the federal affairs division at MoFAGA.

Many local bodies lack landfill sites and garbage trucks. Although 85.6 percent of municipalities reported having at least one means of waste transportation, rural municipalities have made no significant efforts to manage plastic waste.

The Nepal government has issued the National Climate Change Policy 2019, the Environmental Protection Act 2019, and the Sustainable Development Goals 2016-2030 to guide government bodies in reducing climate change impacts and developing a climate-resilient society. Despite this, neither the federal government nor local bodies have initiated measures to resolve urban and rural waste problems.

Effective waste management should include provisions for population, income, electricity, and communication infrastructure. Current practices focus on collection, transportation, and dumping, rather than treating waste as a fundamental environmental and health issue. Waste should be seen as a resource, but it is often recklessly discarded. Although the waste management laws provide a framework for proper waste management, it remains a significant challenge for many local bodies.

Many local governments use forest land for waste disposal, which is problematic, while others dispose of refuse haphazardly. Even municipalities in the Kathmandu Valley, such as Bhaktapur, Madhyapur Thimi, and Kirtipur, dump waste on riverbanks and public areas.

The government frequently shifts the responsibility for the Solid Waste Management and Resource Mobilization Centre between MoFAGA and the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD), creating confusion about waste management oversight. Amidst numerous waste management laws, the MoUD is finalizing a new waste management act.

Waste generation is expected to increase, presenting substantial challenges for the country’s current waste management mechanisms. It is high time the government developed effective waste handling procedures and strengthened institutional mechanisms to address solid waste management challenges.

Infographics

 

CBS Survey: Annual inorganic waste collection of all types (Metric tons)