Article Sidebar

Submitted
May 5, 2017
Published
Jan 1, 2017
Download
PDF
Statistic
Read Counter : 1043 Download : 660

Main Article Content

Abstract

There is a lack of data on the generation and composition of waste in rural areas worldwide. The present study analyzed the composition of solid waste in Al Jabal Al Akhdar, a rural mountain region in the Sultanate of Oman, which is presently experiencing a rapid rate of urbanization due to tourism development. The solid wastes here are generated by the municipality collecting waste from residential, commercial, institutional and recreational areas, the military from a training camp and a few non-governmental private companies from their camps and hotels. The whole load from each of the three sources was manually segregated each month from June 2013 – May 2014. The results indicated that plastic is the dominant category in the wastes collected by the municipality and accounts for 26.7%, followed by paper (17.9%) and then food (14.4%). Food is the dominant category in the wastes collected by the military and private companies and accounts for 36.5% and 45.5% respectively. Management issues associated with solid waste are briefly considered. The study concluded that the municipality should implement an improved system for the collection of plastic waste and initiate a system for recycling it; the military and private companies should reduce the quantities of food waste by improved planning and management of the catering services.

 

 

 

Keywords

Solid waste Rural areas Al Jabal Al Akhdar Oman Statistical analysis Composition.

Article Details

References

  1. Ogwueleka, T.C. Municipal solid waste characteristics and management in Nigeria. Iran Journal of Environment, Health Sciences and Engineering, 2009, 6(3), 173-180.
  2. Senior, E. Microbiology of landfill sites. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, 1990.
  3. Yusof, M., Othman, F., Normala, H. and Ali, N. The role of socio-economic and cultural factors in municipal solid waste generation: A case study in Taman Perling, Johor Bahru, Malaysia Journal of Technology, 2002, 37(F), 55-64.
  4. Limbu, D. Solid waste management in the town of Darjeeling: Environmental concern. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Research, 2014, 3, 26-34.
  5. Sabejeje, A.J., Oketayo, O.O., Bello, I.J. and Sabejeje, T.A. Elemental analysis of leachates from open-dump-solid wastes in Ondo State, Nigeria: Implication on underground water and surface water safety. American Journal of Research Communication, 2014, 2(10), 287-296.
  6. Hamdi, H., Jedidi, N., Ayari, F. and Ghrabi, A. Valuation of municipal solid waste compost of Tunis (Tunisia) – Agronomic aspect. Proceedings of the 14th Annual Conference of the Japan Society of Waste Management Experts, 2003, 3, 62- 64.
  7. Glennie, K.W. The Geology of Oman Mountains. An outline of their origin. Scientific Press Ltd., U.K., 2005.
  8. Hanna, S.S. Field guide to the geology of Oman volume 1, Western Hajar Mountain and Musandam. The Historical Association of Oman, Sultanate of Oman, 1995.
  9. Ministry of Transportation and Communication. Annual temperature degree and rainfall in Al Jabal Al Akhdar, General Directorate of Meteorology and Air Navigation (DGMAN). Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, 2009.
  10. Ministry of Tourism. Annual report for tourism in Al Jabal Al Akhdar. Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, 2014.
  11. Ministry of National Economy. Oman General Census of Population, Housing, and Establishments 2010. Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, 2011.
  12. Klee, A.J. Design & management for resource recovery volume 3: quantitative decision making. Ann Arbor Science, Ann Arbor, Mich, 1980.
  13. Monney, I., Tiimub, B.M. and Bagah, H.C. Characteristics and management of household solid waste in urban areas in Ghana: the case of WA. Civil and Environmental Research, 2013, 3(9), 10-21.
  14. Sharholy, M., Ahmed, K., Vaishya, R.C. and Gupta, R.D. Municipal solid waste characteristics and management in Allahabad, India. Waste Management, 2007, 27, 490-496.
  15. USEPA (USA Environmental Protection Agency). Municipal solid waste in the United States: Facts and figures for 2011. Washington, Dc, 2013. ˂https: // epa.gov/wastes/nonhaz/municipal> (accessed 20.02.2016).
  16. Osei-Mensah, P., Adjaottor, A.A. and Owusu-Boateng, G. Characterization of solid waste on the Atwima-Nwabiagya District of the Ashanti region, Kumaisi-Ghana. International Journal of Waste Management. Technology, 2014, 2(1), 1-14.
  17. Muscat Municipality. Monthly operation report for Al Amerat (Al Multaqa) Solid Waste Landfill. Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, 2013.
  18. Palanivel, T.M. and Sulaiman, H. Generation and composition of municipal solid waste (MSW). Asia-Pacific Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering Procedia, 2014, 10, 96-102.
  19. Abd-Alqader, A. and Hamad, J. Municipal solid waste determination supporting the integrated solid waste management in Gaza strip. International Journal of Science and Development, 2012, 3(2), 172-176.
  20. Gidarakos. E., Havas, G. and Ntzamilis, P. Municipal solid waste composition determination supporting the integrated solid waste management system in the island of Crete. Waste Management, 2006, 26, 668–679.
  21. El-Zawahry, A., Shahalam, A., Taha, R., and Al-Busaidi, A. An Assessment of Solid Waste and Landfills in Muscat Area, Oman. Sultan Qaboous University Journal of Science and Technology, 2001, 6, 1-11.
  22. UNEP (United Nations Environmental Program). Municipal Solid Waste Composition Analysis Study: Juba, South Sudan, 2013 ˂http:// unep.org/ South Sudan > (Accessed on: 23/12/2015).
  23. Bashir, N. Plastic problem in Africa. Japan Journal of Veterinary Research, 2013, 61 (Supplement), S1-S11.
  24. Taboada-González, P., Armijo-de-Vega, C., Aguilar-Virgen, Q. and Ojeda-Benítez, S. Household solid waste characteristics and management in rural communities. Open Waste Management Journal, 2010, 3, 167-173.
  25. Kalanatarifard, A. and Yang, G. Identification of the municipal solid waste characteristics and potential of plastic recovery at Bakri landfill, Muar, Malaysia. Malaysian Journal of Sustainable Development, 2012, 5(7), 11-17.