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École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Municipal Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne via Coursera

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Overview

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Have you come across large piles of garbage in neighbourhoods and streets and smelly waste disposal sites polluting the environment of low- and middle-income countries? Do you want to know what kind of sustainable solutions are appropriate to better manage waste and enhance recycling and recovery? If yes, this course is for you! This course provides you with an overview of the municipal solid waste management situation in low- and middle-income countries. It covers key elements of the waste management system, such as its technical, environmental, social, financial and institutional aspects. Besides understanding the challenges, you will be introduced to appropriate and already applied solutions through selected case studies.

Syllabus

  • Physical Elements of Solid Waste Management
    • The course begins with an overview of the current waste management situation and the the physical components of municipal solid waste management. We will also introduce the Integrated Sustainable Waste Management framework that will guide you through this course. Connect with your peers and check out the bonus modules at the end of the week.
  • Governance Aspects of Solid Waste Management
    • This week focuses on the governance aspects, also called the “soft” aspects of a municipal solid waste management system. We will explain the different stakeholders and their roles and responsibilities as well as legislative issues and financial mechanisms.
  • Organic waste treatment
    • This week provides you with an overview on organic waste treatment. We will start with the basics of two very common organic waste treatment technologies: composting and anaerobic digestion. We then continue with technologies that are currently less common in practice: vermicomposting, waste processing using black soldier fly larvae, and thermochemical conversion.
  • Special waste fractions
    • The week covers special waste fractions, such as hazardous waste, healthcare waste, e-waste, plastic waste and construction and demolition waste. We will explain the key challenges and opportunities for an improved management in low- and middle-income settings.
  • Strategic Issues and Planning in Solid Waste Management
    • During this last week, the modules will focus more on strategic and planning aspects of MSWM. Learn more about waste and climate change, plastic leakage andhow to plan and improve the solid waste management system in your community or city. Discover practical tools and the relevance of solid waste management for humanitarian contexts.

Taught by

Christian Zurbrügg and Imanol Zabaleta

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Reviews

4.6 rating, based on 10 Class Central reviews

4.8 rating at Coursera based on 3502 ratings

Start your review of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries

  • Profile image for Sara J. Carvajal
    Sara J. Carvajal @sarajoha
    96
    The exams are really easy and short but the lessons are long, the weeks are loaded with 6 to 7 videos of 10-15 min each. It is packed with information and they also share good sources to deepen your understanding.
  • Anonymous
    Municipal solid waste management in developing countries is very important topic to learn. As well updating the knowledge by the experiences gained from newly practices adopted by the developed country on waste management will be very much helpful to solve effectively the current waste issues in developing countries. To learn the view of the developed country and how they see these related issues in the developing countries and their recommendations and guidance to solve some issues is very interested since i am also is getting involved in this field
  • Profile image for Dheebak O B
    Dheebak O B
    4
    The course started from basics. It showed the various ways through which waste can be disposed . Many real-world examples were given. Even mathematical calculations were present to determine the amount of energy in a waste.
  • Somi Obozuwa
    4
    This course was very well taught. It easy to follow and understand. It gave me a lot of valuable information.
  • Manqoba
    2
    Municipal solid waste management in developing countries is a good course everything in this world needs to be renewed because of high population growth around the world,We all need this things back to us members of countries so let us respect recycling buy doing it and teach athers about it. Please try it we have a problem of high population around countries.
  • Anonymous
    This Course Has tremendously helped me understand the challenge of waste as experiencing by developing countries and how to develop a working model for sustainable waste management. Thank you for work input from the organisers and Tutors of this much-needed education of our time.
  • Buyile
    2
    The course is more relevant to employees employed at solid waste management department.Municipality must equip its employees with more skills oriented on line course.
  • Mohammed Rifard
    2
  • Mohammed Abdul Razzak
  • Eghe Oze Obanor
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