Inside Dhaka’s waste management crisis
Dhaka’s waste management was once guided by its own master plan emphasising the 3Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. But somewhere along the way, authority drifted, priorities shifted, and political enthusiasm outpaced technical planning
Every night in Dhaka, a hidden machinery begins to move. Nearly 7,500 tonnes of waste make their way from homes, streets, markets, and factories to a network of temporary transfer points and finally to the four landfills that ring the capital.
Dhaka is producing more waste than ever. According to the Waste Management Report 2019–2020, per capita waste generation has risen from 0.575 kg per day in 2017–2018, to 0.65 kg in 2018–2019, and then to 0.72 kg in 2019–2020.
Yet only about 37% of this waste is formally collected. The rest spills into drains, clogs waterways, burns in open air, or simply piles up on unregulated dumpsites.
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How Dhaka's waste management works
Dhaka's waste management depends largely on two city entities: Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC). Together, they collect and dump more than 7,500 metric tonnes of waste daily, sending most of it to four major landfills: Amin Bazar, Matuail, Beribandh, and Uttara.
Much of the structure we see today is heavily shaped by the partnership between Dhaka's city corporations and Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica). Jica helped develop the Clean Dhaka Master Plan, provided collection vehicles, introduced technical support, and established regional sanitation offices.
Their interventions brought improvements, particularly the rickshaw-based collection system that reduced spillage and increased collection efficiency. As a result, waste collection reportedly rose from 40% in 2005 to 85% in 2021.
"We take Dhaka as a great example because it has huge potential and huge energy to realise as a green city," said Miyazaki Akihiro, Deputy Director General of Jica's Global Environment Department.
Air Commodore Md Mahabubur Rahman Talukder, Chief Waste Management Officer of DSCC, explained a systematic paradox they face: "Unless we reduce waste, 181 acres of valuable land will remain a dumping site. If we can cut down the volume, we can free the land. That's why we explore new projects—but only those that make sense."
He mentioned that most proposals they receive are for waste-to-energy projects through incineration.
"But our waste has a calorific value of only 600–700, while electricity production requires at least 1,500. To reach that, the waste must be burned at very high temperatures, which raises the surrounding temperature and contributes to global warming. That's why such incineration is restricted globally. We cannot accept investments that harm the environment," he added.
Life beside the landfills
In Konda village, beside the sprawling Amin Bazar landfill, the optimism sounds almost surreal.
"The landfill has destroyed the rich wetland biodiversity and the croplands that people's livelihoods once depended on," said Akkas Ali, a 37-year-old resident. "Many villagers have moved elsewhere since the city corporation began dumping waste here."
Every monsoon, black pools of leachate overflow into homes and fields. In the dry months, dust from decomposing waste hangs in the air like an invisible fog.
"Skin diseases are common — breathing problems too," Akkas added. "During the rainy season, we live surrounded by stench and dark water for days."
These overflowing landfills have become a breeding paradise for mosquitoes, and no amount of fogging seems to make a dent in the problem.
A 2021 Jahangirnagar University study supports what residents describe: toxic metals and chemicals have already contaminated the soil, shallow groundwater, and even the rice and vegetables grown around the landfill areas. These include lead, cadmium, nickel, and manganese — all above World Health Organisation–recommended limits. But none of Dhaka's landfills are sanitary.
"We did not find the protective layers or synthetic membranes required in engineered landfills. These are dumping grounds, not landfills," said Dr Shafi Mohammad Tareq, professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at Jahangirnagar University and one of the study's authors.
This pollution is not only from household waste. Bangladesh produces 3 million metric tonnes of e-waste annually, much of it from ship-breaking yards. Toxic metals from discarded phones, refrigerators, computers, and air-conditioners seep into the water and soil.
"The government should support the e-waste industry, as it can help both economically and environmentally," said Professor Dilip Kumar Datta of the Environmental Science Discipline at Khulna University.
The consequences are already visible. Yet coherent policy action remains missing.
A system derailed
Dhaka's waste management was once guided by its own master plan emphasising the 3Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. But somewhere along the way, authority drifted, priorities shifted, and political enthusiasm outpaced technical planning.
Dr Adil Mohammed Khan, professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Jahangirnagar University, explained, "The landfill near Amin Bazar is already full. Trash is being dumped on the roadside of the major highway. No laws, regulations, or contract provisions are being followed."
He calls it a systemic failure where dumping continues even as rivers and canals are visibly polluted, where policy decisions appear abrupt and inconsistent.
"The City Corporation had prepared a policy but later abandoned it. Suddenly, without verifying if it was the right fit, they proceeded with it. Now, midway, not much progress is visible."
He said it is especially critical of the sudden shift toward a China-advised Waste-to-Energy project, which still lacks environmental clearance.
"It cannot be finished because it lacks feasibility. If it is found to be dangerous for the environment, it must be closed. We must find alternatives beyond traditional methods," he added.
Both he and Professor Tareq emphasised that Dhaka needs smaller, decentralised sites, integrated planning, and full segregation, none of which currently exist.
Why Dhaka falls behind
Dhaka's waste management operates in a largely linear model, 'take, make, dispose', while modern cities are moving towards circular economies that prioritise reuse, recycling, and energy recovery.
To understand this global gap, one needs to look at Singapore and Malaysia.
Singapore's waste system operates with near-total efficiency, achieving close to a 100% collection rate across the country. The government enforces mandatory segregation for key waste streams, ensuring recyclables and general waste are properly handled from the outset.
Most waste is sent to advanced waste-to-energy incineration plants, where the volume is reduced by up to 90%, drastically cutting the pressure on landfills.
The first step is to make waste segregation mandatory across the city, with separate systems for organic, recyclable, medical and hazardous waste. We need engineered landfills equipped with protective liners, leachate treatment facilities, and methane-capture systems to prevent further soil and groundwater contamination.
Whatever remains is transported to a single, fully engineered offshore landfill designed to prevent environmental contamination. This system is supported by strong policy enforcement, including a robust Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework that makes producers accountable for the waste generated from their products.
Malaysia, a developing country steadily transforming its waste management system, operates under the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act 672), which provides a structured legal framework for nationwide waste governance.
The country has introduced mandatory waste segregation, though enforcement remains weak, and has invested significantly in sanitary landfills equipped with proper leachate protection to reduce environmental harm.
Alongside these improvements, Malaysia is also expanding its waste-to-energy initiatives, signalling a broader shift toward more sustainable and technologically driven waste management practices.
Now contrast this with Bangladesh, where the waste management system remains largely stuck in a basic disposal-focused model, with only 40–50% of urban waste being collected and almost no segregation at source.
Most recycling is handled by the informal sector, often in unsafe and hazardous conditions. The country's landfills are non-engineered, unlined and unprotected, leading to severe leachate contamination of surrounding soil, rivers and groundwater.
Despite the scale of the crisis, waste receives less than 1% of the municipal budget, and although policies such as the SWM Rules 2021 exist, enforcement is weak and inconsistent. There are no material recovery facilities, no systematic composting programmes and no effective waste-to-energy initiatives.
Ultimately, Bangladesh's waste system is not failing due to a lack of knowledge or international support; it is failing because of deep fragmentation, weak enforcement, poor coordination and very low political prioritisation.
What needs to change
Dr Adil Mohammed Khan offered a clear and practical roadmap for fixing Dhaka's waste crisis. He said the first step is to make waste segregation mandatory across the city, with separate systems for organic, recyclable, medical and hazardous waste.
"We need engineered landfills equipped with protective liners, leachate treatment facilities, and methane-capture systems to prevent further soil and groundwater contamination," he said.
"Decentralised composting and anaerobic digestion plants — particularly vital given Dhaka's enormous organic waste stream — are essential, along with the formal integration of informal waste pickers to improve recycling efficiency and ensure safer working conditions," he added.
According to him, Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) are needed to automate sorting, while transparent governance and a commitment to avoid abrupt, large-scale project shifts would help stabilise long-term planning. Public awareness campaigns must also cultivate household-level responsibility.
"These measures are not optional improvements; they are necessary steps if Dhaka wants to prevent an already dire public health and environmental crisis from worsening."
DSCC's Md Mahabubur Rahman Talukder mentioned that they are considering a new approach.
"A Korean company offered a different model. After their feasibility study, they proposed to invest entirely on their own, manage their own marketing, and pay us for the waste, the land, and a share of their profit. We won't spend a single taka, and they only need 4-5 acres to process 300–400 tonnes of waste daily," he said.
In contrast, PPP proposals require the government to buy electricity at Tk25–30 per kilowatt, while households pay Tk10–11, which is clearly not viable.
"So yes, their fees—Tk10,000 per month for waste and 20,000 for land—may seem small, but our priority is waste reduction, and we're not investing anything. We're looking at the bigger picture," he concluded.
