A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1993

In Dhaka two systems exist side by side for dealing with urban wastes that are on rise as urbanization and modern consumer society are defining the lifestyle of residents of this capital city of Bangladesh. One that can be called the 'formal system' which is managed by the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) and the other strongly denotes an 'informal system' which is characterized by extensive recovery and recycling done by the poor and the socially disadvantaged who are working on the streets, in and out of the residential waste bins, the waste disposal dump sites and with the small manufacturing industries. This study aimed to explore the linkages between the two systems and find out the scope of strengthening the linkages between the two sectors for promoting recycling so that urban waste management will be less burdensome to· the city government. The formal and informal sector engaged in solid waste recycling activities in Dhaka. The formal and informal services to waste management are intimately linked in Dhaka. The formal solid waste management system has many informal inputs and their contribution do not end with disposal. An informal network has made it possible to have a strong recycling system in Dhaka. Abundance of labor and scarcity of material resources are the key factors for this high incidence of recycling and recycling-based manufacturing activities in Dhaka. An extensive survey was conducted on different actors involved in the recycling network starting from the waste generators (households) to 'wastebin tokais' (scavengers), 'dump tokais ' (scavengers), 'feriwallas' (announced hawker), 'vhangari dokans' (shops which buy broken/used items), wholesalers, manufacturers (both formal and informal), brokers (middlemen) and the collection crew (DCC). This research study reveals that 16% (estimated) of the total generated solid wastes are collected and recycled by a huge pool of labor in the informal sector. In contrast the formal sectors contribution in the recycling of solid waste is very limited. The notable exceptions are the recently initiated pilot biogas and composting projects. It was also found that a few large manufacturing industries were using recovered materials as their raw materials. Overall, this study finds that there is a need and scope to integrate these two sectors in improving the waste management system of Dhaka. This study recommends for a macro and micro level planning to improve the whole recycling trade chain. It, however, emphasizes that the whole planning process should take place without disturbing the existing recycling network. At the macro level, the central government can take the role of a facilitator to improve the overall atmosphere of recycling and, at the micro level, NGOs and CBOs can play an important role to organize the recycling activities from the grass root level.