Appraisal of domestic solid waste generation, components, and the feasibility of recycling in Erbil, Iraq.
Solid waste collection and disposal are among the most vital services provided to about 700 770 residents of the city of Erbil in northern Iraq. As such, proper waste management systems that consider both the quantity and composition of domestic solid waste are strongly required to address the increasing amount of solid waste. Unfortunately, these essential data are not easily available. The present study sought to gather data on the quantity and composition of domestic solid waste collected from different quarters in Erbil, and the feasibility of recycling these wastes. The solid waste generation rate (GR), uncompacted density, and weight percentages of combustible and incombustible materials were determined based on the collected materials (i.e., food, plastic, paper, metal, glass and cloth). The results show that the average GR and uncompacted density were 0.654 kg capita(-1) day(-1) and 175.72 kg m(-3), respectively. The weight percentages of food, plastic, paper, metal, glass, and cloth as components of domestic solid waste were 79.34, 6.28, 5.9, 3.6, 3.42 and 1.45%, respectively.
School of Civil Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
Shuokr Qarani Aziz
Hamidi Abdul Aziz
Mohammed Jk Bashir
Mohd Suffian Yusoff
D002947:Cities; D007493:Iraq; D059027:Recycling / Q000379:methods*; D012037:Refuse Disposal / Q000379:methods*; D018505:Waste Management / Q000379:methods*; D014866:Waste Products / Q000032:analysis* / Q000145:classification
D014866:Waste Products