How Dhaka’s waste transfer stations became a source of stench, pollution

Highlights:

• Dhaka's STS sites worsen pollution, smell, and public misery
• Poor maintenance, delays, and mismanagement plague most STS facilities
• Overflowing waste blocks roads, worsens traffic in many areas
• STSs near hospitals, schools pose serious health and safety risks
• Thirty city wards lack any STS, causing unmanaged waste dumping
• Experts urge full-cycle reform and better public-private waste partnerships

What was meant to be a modern solution to Dhaka's garbage problem is now compounding it.

The capital's 118 Secondary Transfer Stations (STS) — meant as temporary holding spots for garbage — now cause stench, pollution, and daily misery for residents and commuters.

Each year, Dhaka's two city corporations spend crores to build and operate STS facilities. Yet instead of improving sanitation, these sites are plagued by poor maintenance, mismanagement, and lack of environmental safeguards, residents say.

Residents near STS in Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Dhanmondi, Tejgaon, Karwanbazar, Jatrabari, and Old Dhaka report unbearable smells, blocked footpaths, and garbage overflow as daily realities.

Visits to 35 STS sites across Dhaka South and North also reveal open dumping, no odour-control systems, and frequent delays in waste removal — leaving garbage to rot in the open for hours, sometimes days.

A 2023 study by the Environment and Social Development Organisation (ESDO), found that over 60% of STS units had no odour-control mechanism, while nearly 70% failed to maintain scheduled waste removal.

In response, city corporation officials blame overcrowding, limited manpower, and inadequate equipment. They also point fingers at private waste collectors, accusing them of dumping household garbage improperly.

But for the public, the finger-pointing does little to mask the smell.

Experts say the problem isn't with the STS concept — which works efficiently in many global cities — but with its execution in Dhaka. Many stations lack leachate drainage, boundary walls, or filters, causing waste to seep into roads, drains, and homes.

Dhaka generates 7,500 tonnes of waste daily, yet 30 wards lack a single STS, while some have two — highlighting a stark imbalance in waste management.

Waste vans block roads, trigger congestion

Most STS sites see waste collector vans occupy front roads or nearby spaces in the evening, causing heavy traffic congestion.

Humayun Kabir, a car driver, said that at Uttara Sector-12's STS in Dhaka North's Ward 51, waste vans block most of the road from morning to midnight, causing major inconvenience.

Resident Zaida Khatun added, "The area around this STS is unbearable due to the foul smell. Liquid waste leaks onto roads and drains. We've complained to city officials but gotten no relief."

Near Bhatara Police Station, waste vans for Dhaka North's STS block almost half of Pragati Sarani Road in the evening. Commuter Mehedi Hasan said, "Waste vans cause long jams here. Motorcyclists often have minor accidents from waste spilt on the road."

At Kalabagan Bus Stop in Dhaka South, a similar STS beside Mirpur Road causes traffic jams. Commuter Zahirul Islam said, "All I get is traffic jams and foul odour while passing this road. STSs should have some sort of lid to cover it up."

Malibagh also has a roadside STS with complaints about South City Corporation's management.

Dhaka South City Corporation's chief waste officer, Air Commodore Md Mahabubur Rahman Talukder, told TBS, "We have fewer STSs than needed, so waste piles up. Shortages in manpower and transport are behind delays in landfill transfers of waste from STS. Over 50% of waste stays at STSs, causing long van queues and foul odours. We're working to solve these issues."

Dhaka North City Corporation's chief waste officer, Commodore ABM Shamsul Alam, said, "Due to a lack of land, many STSs are on roadsides or canal banks. Managing waste in a dense city is difficult, but we're trying to reduce public inconvenience. I will instruct staff to ease van queues, road blockages, and odours."

STS near hospitals and schools

A Dhaka North STS stands at the entrance of Mohammadpur Fertility Services and Training Centre (MFSTC), where hundreds of mothers and children visit daily. Despite repeated requests from the hospital authorities to remove the STS, the city corporation has taken no action.

Mother Huzaifa Begum, who brought her three-month-old for treatment, told TBS, "The waste and its foul smell right outside the hospital risk exposing my child to new diseases. It's both unpleasant to see and hazardous for the hospital environment."

In Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, an open garbage dump lies in front of a government primary school for children. Waste collected from nearby residential buildings is dumped on the street and in containers outside the school. Teachers say they have repeatedly complained to the city corporation, but no action has been taken.

Dhaka North claims no STS exists there, and waste is stored temporarily out of necessity. They say the dump will be removed once a new STS is set up.

In Dhaka South's Ward 26, an STS near Azimpur Govt Girls' School and College causes waste buildup and foul odours, affecting the school and nearby areas.

Similar permanent and temporary waste dumps have also formed near schools in Bangshal and Saydabad.

No STS in 30 wards

Out of 54 wards in Dhaka North, 18 have no STS, and in Dhaka South's 75 wards, 12 lack STS. 

In these areas, most waste accumulates on roads and public spaces. While city corporations collect some waste for landfills, much seeps into drains and canals, especially in newer wards.

Dhaka South officer Md Mahabubur Rahman Talukder said, "We are launching a Tk450 crore project to improve waste management with new equipment and vehicles, which will greatly reduce mismanagement."

Dhaka North officer ABM Shamsul Alam said, "We are searching for new land to build STSs in areas without them, but land scarcity is a major challenge. Our landfill capacity has long expired, affecting the entire waste management chain. Also, since waste trucks can't operate at night, waste must be stored during the day."

What could be the solution?

Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) General Secretary Shaikh Muhammad Mehedi Ahsan told TBS, "Dhaka's entire waste management cycle is flawed — the STS is just one part of a much larger system. To fix it, we need to address the full cycle. Waste should be collected separately by type and managed accordingly. For this, the city corporations can partner with private companies and NGOs."

He added, "The waste management sector involves huge sums of money. If that commercial interest is brought under control, the crisis can be addressed by setting up small and large STSs across neighbourhoods and ensuring enough transportation vehicles. City corporations must focus not just on infrastructure but also on efficient management."