Solid waste characterization of domestic areas of urban Lahore

Solid waste management in urban areas of Pakistan has become a serious environmental concern. This study aimed at characterizing and quantifying the urban domestic solid waste from the Shalimar Town area of Lahore in terms of how much paper, glass, food waste, etc., is generated in an urban setting. Field surveys were carried out for three days of week from May to August 2021 in the summer season as there it may change the type of waste with the time of the years. Houses were selected at random based on their class (single and double-story) and the number of marlas (three to ten) that they occupied. The collected solid waste was separated according to the type, weighted using a balance, and carefully recorded in the field data sheets for later data analysis using statistical tools. The waste was sorted and separated in the polythene bags. Municipal garbage was categorized into nine categories based on the composition of the material.  The average separation time is 5-10 minutes. We sorted, separated, weighed, and recorded the different physical components. Each sample has different types of waste like kitchen waste, plastic waste, textile waste, wood waste, metal waste, paper waste, etc. but the highest quantity of waste is kitchen waste. Kitchen waste is generated in every house. The reason for the high waste quantity is the number of people living in the house. The quantity of household waste depended on the number of individuals living in a house. The waste produced on the domestic level is mostly kitchen waste which is not hazardous and can be recycled through composting. The spatial distribution maps were developed using GIS software. The distribution map shows how much waste is produced in every house. Overall, the study indicated that the average composition of municipal solid waste in Shalimar town with kitchen waste was 85.2%, plastic waste at 11.8%, paper waste at 6.7%, textile waste at 4.8%, wood waste at 2.6%, metal waste as 4.4%, e-waste as 0%, glass waste as 3.6% and miscellaneous waste as 6.8%. The results show that there has been a significant percentage of organic contents in waste. This study is important in documenting the waste quantification in urban areas households which is crucial for determining the material recovery potential and source management, treatment methods, and disposal strategies.