Abstract:
Municipal Solid Waste is a growing problem in urban areas of Sri Lanka and this problem is aggravated due
to absence of proper solid waste management systems at Local Authorities. The management of solid waste
requires in depth studies on waste generation and characterization. Thus, an evaluation study was conducted
to assess the generation and composition of solid wastes in Thirukkovil Pradeshiya Sabha, Ampara district.
Solid waste collected from households and shops by Local Authority were quantified. Then, collected
samples were separated into different material categories of wastes. The questionnaire surveying covered 60
households in study area. Finally, data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS.The results
manifested that the average waste generation per household is 2.24 kilogram. Approximately, 16.345 tons of
solid waste were found to be generated per day by household sector and has contributed more than 45.64%
of the total waste generation. Correlation study revealed that the household waste generation showed a
moderate positive correlation (P<0.01) with monthly income and family size. The average composition of
the household waste in weight basis is organic waste (92.94%), plastic (3.96%), metal (0.86%), glass
(1.67%), and hazardous waste (0.57%). Average solid waste generation per shop is 1.56 kilogram.
Approximately 74.88 kilogram of solid waste were generated per day and the average composition of the
shop waste is organic waste (89.26%), plastic (9.10%), glass (0.94%), metal (0.62%), and hazardous waste
(0.046%). The total solid waste collected by the Local Authority is 250.65 tons per week. The average
composition of the solid waste collected by Local Authority was organic waste (93.69%), plastic (2.73%),
glass (1.03%), metal (0.56%) and hazardous waste (1.96%). The biodegradable material can be utilized for
compost making to reduce the materials at home level.
