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International Conference on

Recent Trends in Environmental Sustainability

ESCON22/SWMR/05

Municipal solid waste management and health risks: is it time for a solid waste safety
plan?
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Giovanni Vinti* , CeTAmb, Mentore Vaccari ,
1 CeTAmb University of Brescia, Italy
Correspondence: giovanni.vinti@unibs.it

Abstract
Solid waste management (SWM) is an issue that can lead to severe risks to human health and
the environment if not properly addressed. Indeed, in some cases, especially in Low- and
Middle-Income areas, solid waste is not collected or disposed of properly, leading to severe
problems. SWM usually improves moving from low- to high-income countries. However,
many local aspects determine both the risks and the most appropriate solutions. As a
consequence, it is crucial to focus on the exposure assessment in reducing the health risks
related to SWM developing a site-specific methodology. It is essential to consider that safety
plans have been developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the last two decades.
However, they aimed to reduce risks associated with drinking water (Water Safety Plan),
wastewater and sludge (Sanitation Safety Planning). In the field of solid waste, WHO has not
developed such a plan yet. Here we present the first proposal of the Municipal Solid Waste
Safety Plan (MSWSP). Case studies from two very different contexts were evaluated. In
particular, an urban centre in Serbia and nine rural villages in Ghana were analysed. It
highlighted the versatility that the MSWSP could have. The first step of the proposed MSWSP
consists of setting up the team of experts. Then, boundaries conditions are described.
Subsequently, the health risk assessment matrix is introduced; it grades the level of risk of
various SWM practices. The link between the level of risks and the number of people affected
is discussed. Furthermore, control measures are proposed to mitigate the highest identified
risks. Finally, cost analysis is presented. The cost analysis represents the main novelty with
respect to the previous safety plans used for water and sanitation; it is associated with the
control measures to estimate the order of magnitude of the costs necessary to implement them.
This first version of MSWSP is likely to be improved, and further case studies will be needed.
However, the first step in this direction has been taken.
Keywords: SWM, WHO, health risk

Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus

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