Solid waste management in Tulsipur, Nepal has been very rudimentary and disorganized. For 11 years,
the city practiced direct discharge of waste on a riverbank followed by the current disposal of waste in a
creek with no soil cover or leachate treatment in place. The city’s allocation of resources for waste
management is also among the lowest in Nepal with 3474 residents per solid waste worker and 14.39
Nepalese Rupees or US $0.19 per person. Tulsipur collects less than one-half of the waste it generates and
the waste frequently contaminates water sources. Nearly 100 Tulsipur Municipality households were
investigated using cluster sampling techniques in an effort to characterize household solid waste and
survey waste management practices. The waste composition study found that household solid waste is
made up of 46% organic wastes, 11% dirt and construction debris, 10% plastics, 7% glass, 6% paper and
paper products, 5% metals, and 5% rubber and leather. The balance included textiles (1%), hazardous
wastes (1%), and other wastes (8%). Tulsipur generates 330.4 g capita1 day1 of household solid waste.
The waste composition suggests that while organic wastes is still the largest component, recyclable items
have emerged in recent years. The significant share of dirt and construction debris uncovered was an
indication of urbanization in Tulsipur. Hazardous wastes rates were also higher than other Nepalese
municipalities of similar size. It is recommended that Tulsipur adopt composting with a high degree of
source separation for organic wastes, promote waste recovery or recycling at the local level to capture
valuable items, use dirt and construction debris as a road filling substance and exchange material for new
construction. Hazardous wastes also need special care. These practices will ensure that only residual
wastes are deposited in landfill.