LESSONS LEARNED FROM SOLID-WASTE MANAGEMENT IN KATHMANDU, NEPAL

The solid waste management system in the capital city of Kathmandu has undergone many changes over past several years. Before the implementa tion of the GTZ supported project in 1981, waste management was the re sponsibility of the municipality and people. During the project period it became a responsibility of primarily the Solid Waste Management an d Resource Mobilization Center (SWM-RMC), though the municipality also continued to be involved to some extent, However, the latter's role h as become relatively more important especially after the termination o f the project in 1993, Despite periodic changes in the management syst em, solid waste could never be effectively managed. This paper examine s the weaknesses and strengths of the changing management systems and then suggests policies for sustainable solid waste management. (C) 199 8 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.