SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN UBAN AREAS; A CASE OF JCMC AREA, JALGAON, MAHARASHTRA, INDIA

This study carried out within the Jalgaon City Municipal Corporation in Maharashtra State, India, concentrating on the prevailing practices, challenges, and strategies pertinent to solid waste management. Initial field assessments indicated that the average solid waste generation rate of household in the city stands at 0.25 kg per capita per day, culminating in an estimated total waste output of around 54 tons daily. A thorough examination was conducted to analyze the processes involved in the sourcing, quantity produced, collection, transportation, storage, treatment, and disposal of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). Data pertaining to Solid Waste Management within the Municipal Corporation was gathered through the distribution of questionnaires, individual site visits, and interviews with pertinent municipal officials. Furthermore, photographic evidence and documentation were amassed to depict the various stages of generation, storage, collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal of Municipal Solid Waste. The study's outcomes advocate for the adoption of sanitary landfills as a substitute for current open dumping practices, aiming to reduce reliance on waste incineration, notwithstanding the challenges and issues that may arise from this transition. The paper proposes an urgent shift from the existing waste collection and disposal methodologies employed by the government to a newly recommended framework that prioritizes waste-towealth or trash-to-treasure initiatives through recycling and community involvement, which are considered vital for attaining sustainability and effective solid waste management in the region under study.