Evolution of Solid Waste Management System in Lahore: A Step towards Sustainability of the Sector in Pakistan

Solid Waste Management (SWM) is a technical subject which requires comprehensive planning, execution, and effective operational monitoring under cost-effective modes compatible with environmentally sound technologies. The policymakers made some enormous efforts for the sustainability of this sector as well as setting a benchmark for other municipalities and Waste Management Companies (WMCs) in the country. Provincial Government prioritizes its focus on SWM, i.e., waste collection, transportation, treatment, and final disposal. The waste management sector in Lahore has achieved sustainability in waste collection and haulage components by gaining experience from international outsourcing and, now, sharing its knowledge with other municipalities to strengthen the sector in the country. Lahore has emerged with the highest collection efficiency (84%) in SAARC countries and placed fifth in rank in comparison to 54 low-middle-income countries/cities worldwide. The sectorial interventions in Lahore reveal an aspiration for the sustainability of the SWM sector in Pakistan. However, there is an urgent need to focus and invest in waste-related infrastructure development, i.e., permanent/mobile transfer stations, semi-underground containers for commercial and planned areas, material recovery facilities (MRF), and landfill. Environmental and economic sustainability in this sector can be achieved through public-private partnership (PPP) modality in compost, anaerobic digestion, recycling, and refuse-derived fuel (RDF) as it is a more feasible option to strengthen the industry in the country.