Economic cost of open waste dump site: with special reference to gohagoda dump in Kandy district

Abstract

Solid Waste management is most challengeable and hazardable issue around the world and especially in the developing countries like Sri Lanka with its open dumping practice and financial constraints as it causes huge cost along with its impacts. Thus, this study evaluates the economic and cost of the waste dump site located at Gohagoda and alternate methods. The total population residing in the target area was used to collect data for this study. Primary data were collected through questionnaires and interviews with people living nearby the dump site and officers, laborers of Municipal Council. Statistics of Municipal Council and related journals, reports, website were used to collect secondary data. Collected data were analyzed and interpreted in a descriptive method by using SPSS, MS Excel computer packages. The results reveal that dump site causes a significant amount of economic cost approximately LKR. 11 million per month to the societies living nearby the dump site and to the government. Among different components of economic costs, land cost is higher as it comprises 88 percent of costs respectively on each. Therefore, this study recommends alternate methods of waste disposal such as composting and recycling and to vacate households nearby the dump site by providing fair compensation.