Overview

There are untapped potential opportunities for U.S. companies, products, modern technology, and equipment in this industry. Pakistan generates approximately 50.79 million tons of solid waste a year, which has been increasing more than 2.4 percent annually. Similar to many other developing nations, Pakistan faces a challenge in terms of waste management infrastructure, resulting in significant environmental issues. The majority of municipal waste is disposed of through burning, dumping, or burying in empty areas, posing risks to the overall health and well-being of the population. 

According to government estimates, more than 90,000 tons of solid waste are produced every week, mostly from large cities. Karachi, the largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of 20 million people, generates over 17,000 tons of municipal waste daily.

All major cities face enormous challenges on how to manage urban waste, which is a provincial issue. Bureaucratic hurdles at the provincial level, lack of urban planning, inadequate waste management equipment and technology, and low public awareness contribute to urban waste management problems.

Existing Solid Waste Management System in Pakistan

Local and municipal governments are responsible for collecting waste throughout most of Pakistan’s major cities.  In cities, about 60–70% of solid garbage is collected. The garbage collection fleet typically is comprised of open trucks, tractor/trolley systems, and arm roll containers/trucks for secondary collection and transfer. Hand carts and donkey-pulled carts are used for primary collection. Some municipalities hire street sweepers and sanitary workers to augment other collection methods. They use wheelbarrows and brooms to collect solid waste from small heaps and dustbins, then store it in formal and informal depots.

Karachi utilizes three sanitary landfill sites, whereas Lahore, the country’s second-largest city, has only one such site. There are plans to construct formal landfill sites in other major cities as well. In several regions, solid waste is disposed of outside the boundaries of the urban areas.

Solid waste management capabilities and systems vary by province. In Punjab, municipal solid waste management is overseen by provincially owned Solid Waste Management Companies (SWMCs) under the Local Government & Community Development Department. In Sindh, the Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) aims to improve solid waste management services in 20 cities and regularly announces tenders for a wide range of waste management projects in the province. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar (WSSP) is planning to build a sanitary landfill. Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by area has no significant infrastructure for waste management.

Much of Pakistan’s solid waste is retrieved for recycling, primarily by scavengers, before it ever reaches disposal locations, and a large portion of the country’s solid waste never makes it to final disposal sites. 
 

Table 1: Solid Waste Generation in Major Cities