Integrated Solid Waste Management Score Board-A tool to measure performance in Municipal Solid Waste Management

Abstract Waste management is the collection of transport, processing, recycling or disposal, and monitoring of waste materials. All the waste materials, whether solids, liquid, gaseous or radioactive all within the remit of waste management. Waste management is a distinct practice from resource recovery which focuses on delaying the rate of consumption of natural resources. Waste management is also carried out to recover resources from it. Waste management practices can differ for developed and developing nations, for urban and rural areas, and for residential and industrial producers. Management of non-hazardous waste residential and institutional waste in metropolitan areas is usually the responsibility of local government authorities, while management for nonhazardous commercial and industrial waste is usually the responsibility of the generator subject to local, national or international authorities. Integrated waste management is a system of waste disposal that includes separating materials according to type, and finding the best used for discarded products, which may or may not include depositing in a landfill. The IWM score board is a tool for managing an integrated waste management system and the objective is to improve solid waste management practices. The Integrated waste management (IWM) score board has been prepared by United States Environment Program (UNEP). A case study of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Kochi Corporation has been considered here.