A review on factors affecting municipal solid waste generation

Municipal solid waste (MSW) management is not a one-off planning, it is a dynamic evolution and planning has to cater for it. The quantity of MSW generated and composition form the basis for planning and management of MSW. However, for an effective MSW reduction policy to be implemented, generated quantity of MSW is not sufficient alone for policy implementation but more of the variables affecting the generation rate and composition are critical. Without an in-depth understanding of these variables, waste reduction policies may be ineffective and unsuccessful. In this study, we reviewed the impact of these factors on MSW. A case of the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) was studied. Population and gross domestic product (GDP) are the two compelling factors affecting MSW generation. The waste generation per capita is influenced by income level. High income group generate on average 1.91 kg/capita/day, middle income group generates 1.01 kg/capita/day and low income group 0.92 kg/capita/day. This put the CoJ total waste generated at an average of 1.83 million ton/year.