A Study on Municipal Solid Waste Management in Bongaigaon, Assam

Bongaigaon Municipality with an area of 14.31 square kilometre, consisting of 25 wards, is situated in the western part of Assam in India. Bongaigaon town, the district headquarters of Bongaigaon district is a commercial as well as an industrial area. Solid waste management in this area is a challenging task. The present study includes all types of solid wastes other than biomedical waste, generated in the Bongaigaon Municipality area and their management. One kilogram sample was prepared by mixing solid wastes collected from different kinds of sources in the Municipality area. The constituents of the sample were characterized and percentage of each of them was determined. Secondary data related to solid waste and its management were collected from the Municipal authorities. The area generates around 25 tons of solid waste per day with 0.355 kg rate of waste generation per person per day. However, only 21 tons of solid waste is collected for disposal by the civic body. Again, out of around 25 tons of solid waste generated, 44% was found to be biodegradable while the rest was nonbiodegradable.