## 2 Present Status of MSW Management in RCC, Bangladesh  
Waste generation is increasing worldwide at an alarming rate. Figure 1 shows the worldwide waste generation scenario, which has been illustrated in annual report of World Bank [18]. From the figure, it is clear that annual waste generation is greatest in East Asia and the Pacific region, at 468 Mt/y (megatons per year), whereas the Middle East and North Africa produce the smallest amount of waste, at 129 Mt/y. Bangladesh is a South Asian country. South Asia stands third in waste generation, at 334 Mt/y. Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries with a population of approximately 165 million [19]. Bangladesh has an area of 147,570 km\({}^{2}\) and lies between 20\({}^{\circ}\)34' and 26\({}^{\circ}\)38' north latitude and 88\({}^{\circ}\)01' and 92\({}^{\circ}\)41' east longitude. There are twelve city corporations in Bangladesh, including Rajshahi City Corporation. MSW generation per person per day of South Asian countries is illustrated in Figure 2[20]. It is observed that Bangladesh is the third lowest per capita waste-producing country, and per day MSW generation is approximately 0.41 kg/person. Bangladesh produces less waste per capita compared to most of the South Asian countries. However, improper waste management systems create a variety of problems. Rajshahi stands on the northern bay of the Padma river and is surrounded by the Paba sub-district. RCC is the divisional headquarters of Rajshahi division, and best known as Silk City. The geographical location of the city is 24.05' to 25.14' north latitude and 88.09' to 89.25' east longitude. The area of the city is 96.69 km\({}^{2}\) with an approximate population of 0.85 million. Figure 3 shows a map of Rajshahi City Corporation [21]. The number of sub-districts in RCC is 12, with a total ward number of 30. In 2018, according to the RCC authority, the population of the city was 0.85 million [22]. MSW generation rates per person of the six major cities are approximately equal. Table 1 shows the contribution of different sources in MSW generation of all six major cities, including RCC [23]. Rajshahi is considered as the educational city of Bangladesh due to the presence of many of the educational institutions of the country. Therefore, a large number of students all over the country come here to pursue education. Thus, there are many residences in RCC where the students live and contribute to a major portion of MSW in this city. It is observed that residential solid waste contributes about 77.18% of the total MSW generated in RCC. The physical composition of the solid wastes of six different cities is shown in Table 2[23]. The literature shows that about 71.1% of MSW comes from food and vegetables in RCC. Finally, Table 3 shows the growth rate of MSW in urban cities in the past few years [24]. It is estimated that, in 2025, the per capita waste generation will be 0.60 kg/d and total MSW generation will be approximately 47,064 t/d. Several solid waste management methods are being followed throughout Bangladesh, such as sanitary landfill, incineration, recovery and recycling and composting. There is one dumping site of 3.5 feet deep with an area of 15.98 acres at Nawdapara and 35 secondary collection points in RCC. A total of 280 t-MSW/d (tons MSW/day) in RCC is disposed of at the disposal area, and another 120 t-MSW/d is collected for composting by people. Nawdapara is situated in ward 17, which is the main dumping site in RCC. As seen from the map of RCC, ward 17 is situated in the middle of the city, which results in a relatively low transportation cost. However, it is not situated in the main city area. As it is relatively far from highly populated area, which creates a less adverse health impact on the people of the city. Due to improper landfilling, wastes spread all over the disposal site, and produce unpleasant odors and cause environmental pollution. Therefore, waste management has become a major problem in RCC like in other cities.