Desde há alguns anos vêm se tornado a cada vez mais evidentes, as consequências do crescimento da população mundial, da industrialização, e do consumismo que caracteriza nossa sociedade capitalista. Isto é, o aumento da produção de bens materiais, explorando as fontes de materia prima, e a geração descontrolada de resíduos, o que impacta negativamente o meio ambiente e representa riscos para a saúde humana. No contexto dessa problemática de saúde pública, destaca-se a produção de resíduos de serviços de saúde (RSS). Atualmente, é sabido que os resíduos gerados em estabelecimentos de saúde devem ter um gerenciamento especial e diferenciado, pois mesmo que existam resíduos que não apresentam periculosidade, também há determinadas categorias de resíduos potencialmente perigosos. A exposição humana a esses resíduos, perigosos pela sua composição química ou infectante, pode resultar em lesão ou doença. Diferente da realidade dos países desenvolvidos, no Panamá, o gerenciamento de resíduos sólidos ainda se apresenta como um tema negligenciado e que, portanto, não está de acordo com as recomendações internacionais nem cumpre com a legislação vigente do país. Esta investigação visou conhecer a estrutura do gerenciamento dos RSS gerados no Hospital del Niño do Panamá, República do Panamá, com o objetivo de elaborar uma proposta de Plano de Gerenciamento de RSS para este hospital. Partindo do fato de que o Hospital del Niño (HN) é um hospital pediátrico de grande porte, localizado no Município do Panamá, área onde se concentram os principais recursos técnicos e financeiros do país; a futura aplicação do PGRSS tem potencial de repercutir nos demais municípios e cidades do país. Trata-se de uma pesquisa descritiva, baseando-se na observação de campo e entrevistas aos sujeitos selecionados no HN. Os sujeitos selecionados constituiram-se de 2 informantes-chave, responsáveis pelo gerenciamento dos RSS no HN, nos aspectos operacional e administrativo. A análise dos dados foi feita por meio do material obtido com a aplicação do instrumento I-RAT do Programa das Nações Unidas para o Desenvolvimento (PNUD, 2009), incluindo registro fotográfico, anotações feitas em campo e entrevistas realizadas. Os resultados revelaram uma estrutura de gerenciamento de RSS que precisa e pode ser melhorada, e que o local de estudo não cumpre integralmente com as recomendações e exigências legais do país. Também permitiram adotar um modelo de PGRSS, utilizado no estado de São Paulo (COSTA, 2001) e adaptá-lo à realidade panamenha. A proposta do PGRSS resultante deste trabalho é uma ferramenta para o gerenciamento dos resíduos gerados pelo HN e demais estabelecimentos de saúde no Panamá. Este instrumento pode ser útil no sentido de colaborar para a segurança do trabalho, a saúde pública e a proteção do meio ambiente, contribuindo, assim, para uma melhor qualidade de vida / In recent years, it has become increasingly evident the consequences of world population growth, industrialization, and the excessive consumption that characterize our capitalist society. This is the increased production of material assets by exploring the sources of raw material, and uncontrolled waste generation, which impacts negatively the environment and represents risks to human health. In the context of this public health issue, we highlight the waste from health care services. Currently, it is known that the waste generated in healthcare facilities must have a special and differentiated management, this because, even though there are wastes which do not present hazardous characteristics, there are also certain categories of potentially hazardous waste. Human exposure to these hazardous wastes, because of their chemical or infective composition, may result in injury or illness. Different from the reality of developed countries, in Panama, the solid waste management still is presented as a neglected issue and therefore not in accordance with international recommendations nor complies with the current country legislation. This research aimed to getting to know the structure of medical waste management generated at the Hospital del Niño de Panama, Republic of Panama, with the main goal of developing a Medical Waste Management Plan proposal for this hospital. Based on the fact that the Hospital del Niño (HN) is a large scale pediatric hospital, located in the Panama Municipality area, where the main technical and financial resources of the country are concentrated; the future application of a Healthcare Waste Management Plan, may have the potential to positively influence the other municipalities and cities in the country. It is a descriptive research based on field observations and interviews with subjects chosen from the HN. The selected subjects were constituted by 2 key informers, responsible in the operational and administrative aspects, for managing the medical waste at the Hospital. Data analysis was performed with the collected information by the application of the United Nations Development Programmes instrument, the I-RAT (PNUD, 2009), including the photographic recording, the notes taken in field and the held interviews. The results revealed a medical waste management structure that needs and can be improved, and that the research location does not meet integrally with the recommendations and legal requirements of the country. They also allowed to adopt a Medical Waste Management Plan model, used in the state of São Paulo, BR (COSTA, 2001), and adapting it to the Panamanian reality. The proposed Medical Waste Management Plan resulting from this study is a tool for the management of waste generated by the HN and others health establishments over Panama. This tool can be useful to cooperate with occupational safety, public health and environmental protection, thus contributing to a better life quality

Desde há alguns anos vêm se tornado a cada vez mais evidentes, as consequências do crescimento da população mundial, da industrialização, e do consumismo que caracteriza nossa sociedade capitalista. Isto é, o aumento da produção de bens materiais, explorando as fontes de materia prima, e a geração descontrolada de resíduos, o que impacta negativamente o meio ambiente e representa riscos para a saúde humana. No contexto dessa problemática de saúde pública, destaca-se a produção de resíduos de serviços de saúde (RSS). Atualmente, é sabido que os resíduos gerados em estabelecimentos de saúde devem ter um gerenciamento especial e diferenciado, pois mesmo que existam resíduos que não apresentam periculosidade, também há determinadas categorias de resíduos potencialmente perigosos. A exposição humana a esses resíduos, perigosos pela sua composição química ou infectante, pode resultar em lesão ou doença. Diferente da realidade dos países desenvolvidos, no Panamá, o gerenciamento de resíduos sólidos ainda se apresenta como um tema negligenciado e que, portanto, não está de acordo com as recomendações internacionais nem cumpre com a legislação vigente do país. Esta investigação visou conhecer a estrutura do gerenciamento dos RSS gerados no Hospital del Niño do Panamá, República do Panamá, com o objetivo de elaborar uma proposta de Plano de Gerenciamento de RSS para este hospital. Partindo do fato de que o Hospital del Niño (HN) é um hospital pediátrico de grande porte, localizado no Município do Panamá, área onde se concentram os principais recursos técnicos e financeiros do país; a futura aplicação do PGRSS tem potencial de repercutir nos demais municípios e cidades do país. Trata-se de uma pesquisa descritiva, baseando-se na observação de campo e entrevistas aos sujeitos selecionados no HN. Os sujeitos selecionados constituiram-se de 2 informantes-chave, responsáveis pelo gerenciamento dos RSS no HN, nos aspectos operacional e administrativo. A análise dos dados foi feita por meio do material obtido com a aplicação do instrumento I-RAT do Programa das Nações Unidas para o Desenvolvimento (PNUD, 2009), incluindo registro fotográfico, anotações feitas em campo e entrevistas realizadas. Os resultados revelaram uma estrutura de gerenciamento de RSS que precisa e pode ser melhorada, e que o local de estudo não cumpre integralmente com as recomendações e exigências legais do país. Também permitiram adotar um modelo de PGRSS, utilizado no estado de São Paulo (COSTA, 2001) e adaptá-lo à realidade panamenha. A proposta do PGRSS resultante deste trabalho é uma ferramenta para o gerenciamento dos resíduos gerados pelo HN e demais estabelecimentos de saúde no Panamá. Este instrumento pode ser útil no sentido de colaborar para a segurança do trabalho, a saúde pública e a proteção do meio ambiente, contribuindo, assim, para uma melhor qualidade de vida / In recent years, it has become increasingly evident the consequences of world population growth, industrialization, and the excessive consumption that characterize our capitalist society. This is the increased production of material assets by exploring the sources of raw material, and uncontrolled waste generation, which impacts negatively the environment and represents risks to human health. In the context of this public health issue, we highlight the waste from health care services. Currently, it is known that the waste generated in healthcare facilities must have a special and differentiated management, this because, even though there are wastes which do not present hazardous characteristics, there are also certain categories of potentially hazardous waste. Human exposure to these hazardous wastes, because of their chemical or infective composition, may result in injury or illness. Different from the reality of developed countries, in Panama, the solid waste management still is presented as a neglected issue and therefore not in accordance with international recommendations nor complies with the current country legislation. This research aimed to getting to know the structure of medical waste management generated at the Hospital del Niño de Panama, Republic of Panama, with the main goal of developing a Medical Waste Management Plan proposal for this hospital. Based on the fact that the Hospital del Niño (HN) is a large scale pediatric hospital, located in the Panama Municipality area, where the main technical and financial resources of the country are concentrated; the future application of a Healthcare Waste Management Plan, may have the potential to positively influence the other municipalities and cities in the country. It is a descriptive research based on field observations and interviews with subjects chosen from the HN. The selected subjects were constituted by 2 key informers, responsible in the operational and administrative aspects, for managing the medical waste at the Hospital. Data analysis was performed with the collected information by the application of the United Nations Development Programmes instrument, the I-RAT (PNUD, 2009), including the photographic recording, the notes taken in field and the held interviews. The results revealed a medical waste management structure that needs and can be improved, and that the research location does not meet integrally with the recommendations and legal requirements of the country. They also allowed to adopt a Medical Waste Management Plan model, used in the state of São Paulo, BR (COSTA, 2001), and adapting it to the Panamanian reality. The proposed Medical Waste Management Plan resulting from this study is a tool for the management of waste generated by the HN and others health establishments over Panama. This tool can be useful to cooperate with occupational safety, public health and environmental protection, thus contributing to a better life quality

<p>Waste management is a global environmental issue which concerns about a very significant problem in today’s world. There is a considerable amount of disposal of waste without proper segregation which has lead to both economic and environment sufferings. It is still practiced in many cities. There is a tremendous amount of loss in terms of environmental degradation, health hazards and economic descend due to direct disposal of waste. It is better to segregate the waste at the initial stages where it is generated, rather than going for a later option which is inconvenient and expensive. There has to be appropriate planning for proper waste management by means of analysis of the waste situation of the area.</p><p>This paper would deal with, how Geographical Information System can be used as a decision support tool for planning waste management. A model is designed for the case study area in an Indian city for the purpose of planning waste management. The suggestions for amendments in the system through GIS based model would reduce the waste management workload to some extent and exhibit remedies for some of the SWM problems in the case study area. The waste management issues are considered to solve some of the present situation problems like proper allocation and relocation of waste bins, check for unsuitability and proximity convenience due to waste bin to the users, proposal of recyclable waste bins for the required areas and future suggestions. The model will be implemented on the Aurangabad city’s case study area data for the analysis and the results will suggest some modification in the existing system which is expected to reduce the waste management workload to a certain extent.</p>

Waste management is a global environmental issue which concerns about a very significant problem in today’s world. There is a considerable amount of disposal of waste without proper segregation which has lead to both economic and environment sufferings. It is still practiced in many cities. There is a tremendous amount of loss in terms of environmental degradation, health hazards and economic descend due to direct disposal of waste. It is better to segregate the waste at the initial stages where it is generated, rather than going for a later option which is inconvenient and expensive. There has to be appropriate planning for proper waste management by means of analysis of the waste situation of the area. This paper would deal with, how Geographical Information System can be used as a decision support tool for planning waste management. A model is designed for the case study area in an Indian city for the purpose of planning waste management. The suggestions for amendments in the system through GIS based model would reduce the waste management workload to some extent and exhibit remedies for some of the SWM problems in the case study area. The waste management issues are considered to solve some of the present situation problems like proper allocation and relocation of waste bins, check for unsuitability and proximity convenience due to waste bin to the users, proposal of recyclable waste bins for the required areas and future suggestions. The model will be implemented on the Aurangabad city’s case study area data for the analysis and the results will suggest some modification in the existing system which is expected to reduce the waste management workload to a certain extent.

The design of a waste collection system affects public health, the extent of participation in the system by residents, the recovery of resources from waste, and the cost of collection. Many developing countries use communal container collection [CCC] systems in which large containers are dispersed throughout neighbourhoods for the storage of waste until collection. These systems tend to have limited success as they often do not garner viable amounts of participation and containers are prone to being overfilled. The communal container waste collection system in the city of Aguascalientes, AGS, Mexico was assessed according to the Integrated Solid Waste Management [ISWM] principles of social acceptability, environmental effectiveness, economic affordability and effective management. Information was collected through seven interviews with waste-related managers, 282 residential questionnaires, and 12 informal collector questionnaires. The collection system garners a high participation rate (99%) attributed to: non-burdensome one-way distances from residences to containers (mean 114+/-71m); thorough, daily collection; and a culture of cleanliness. Factors of adherence to waste collection regulations were found to be public knowledge, social acceptability, convenience and perception of importance. The collection system was assessed by rational-intuitive consideration of all indicators and principles, to be mostly acceptable from an ISWM framework due to: a high collection rate (~100% daily) which is enabled by effective monitoring and efficient operation; a high participation rate; similarity of the resource recovery rate to that of other developing and developed countries; and long-term affordability. Areas for improvement in equality of service provision, collaboration with informal collectors, and communication were identified. Lessons learned about communal container collection are applicable to lower-middle and upper-middle income countries.

The design of a waste collection system affects public health, the extent of participation in the system by residents, the recovery of resources from waste, and the cost of collection. Many developing countries use communal container collection [CCC] systems in which large containers are dispersed throughout neighbourhoods for the storage of waste until collection. These systems tend to have limited success as they often do not garner viable amounts of participation and containers are prone to being overfilled. The communal container waste collection system in the city of Aguascalientes, AGS, Mexico was assessed according to the Integrated Solid Waste Management [ISWM] principles of social acceptability, environmental effectiveness, economic affordability and effective management. Information was collected through seven interviews with waste-related managers, 282 residential questionnaires, and 12 informal collector questionnaires. The collection system garners a high participation rate (99%) attributed to: non-burdensome one-way distances from residences to containers (mean 114+/-71m); thorough, daily collection; and a culture of cleanliness. Factors of adherence to waste collection regulations were found to be public knowledge, social acceptability, convenience and perception of importance. The collection system was assessed by rational-intuitive consideration of all indicators and principles, to be mostly acceptable from an ISWM framework due to: a high collection rate (~100% daily) which is enabled by effective monitoring and efficient operation; a high participation rate; similarity of the resource recovery rate to that of other developing and developed countries; and long-term affordability. Areas for improvement in equality of service provision, collaboration with informal collectors, and communication were identified. Lessons learned about communal container collection are applicable to lower-middle and upper-middle income countries.

During the last decades, solid waste management has been going through a lot of changes regarding, regulation and applications of models and systems. New practices to solve environmental problems have been approached in different scenarios, situations and in different countries. Today the problem of waste management requires the application of broader approach including new methodologies, systems, practices and models to continue the development toward sustainable systems. The objective of this thesis to assess the waste management situation in the Provinces of Jujuy (Municipality of San Salvador de Jujuy) and Salta (Municipality of Salta Capital) located in the north of Argentina and to provide technical recommendations to implement or improve their waste management system. To carry out the technical and environmental assessment of the waste situation in the municipalities in Jujuy and Salta, the Integrated Waste Management (IWM) approach from UN-HABITAT and UNEP, Global Waste Management Outlook is applied; as well as the chronological and practical methodology WHAT (Waste Holistic Assessment Tool) from the Municipal Association in Sweden “Gästrike Återvinnare” based on ten (15) aspects that, according to praxis in Sweden, are considered relevant in order to assess the waste management system in a municipality. The Province of Jujuy and Salta are facing environmental problems as contamination of soil and groundwater, landfills producing greenhouse gas emissions and social problems of people living at the landfill that need to be addressed. The result of this thesis shows that in the province of Jujuy the waste management situation need to be prioritized. At the capital of Jujuy, there are produced 400 tonnes of household waste per day. The level of knowledge of the system perspective is very low and they need the creation of goals, objectives and policies for the implementation of a sustainable system. It is also necessary the assessment of the type and quality of the waste produced, to have a picture of the situation based on facts. The collection and transport need improvements on infrastructure and regarding the workers at the landfill. There is a lack of sorting system or sorting stations. Sorting of waste and recycling is only based on the activity of the informal workers living at the landfill. The construction of a sorting plant at Chanchillos is positive but the lack of separation system limit the usefulness of the equipment. Regarding the financing aspects, there is a system in place for charging the customers for services provided regarding collection of waste, but there is a problem with financing, to cover not only the costs for the daily services but to secure financing for needed investments in infrastructure, treatment facilities etc. In conclusion, the most important aspects with high priority In Jujuy to start with the implementation of an integrated waste management system in Jujuy are: system goals, source and quality of waste, waste sorting, waste treatment, cooperation, planning, financing, knowledge, socio economic aspects and environmental aspects. The results with lower priority are collection and transport, law and regulations, public awareness and business opportunities. On the other hand, the legislative framework shows that the legislation is in place concerning the issues of waste and environmental protection as well the legislative framework at national and provincial level. However, it is necessary to develop a specific legislation, regarding waste management practices, considering, waste hierarchy as well as the development guidelines regarding extended producer responsibility (EPR). In relation to the technical aspects of the landfill, the results show that there is a potential to implement two different solutions for waste treatment a) The capturing of the landfill gas to reduce gas emissions from the landfill. b) Possibility to build up a biogas plant with electricity generation or biodiesel production taking advantage of the raw material of the place as manure. The results in the Province of Salta shows the implementation of an integrated system is in place but it is necessary the improvement of the system. At the capital of the Province of Salta, there are produced 600 tonnes waste a day, that is deposited in a controlled landfill with biogas extraction and only a small percentage of the waste is sent for recycling. Regarding the waste collection and separation there are similarities with the problems of infrastructure described in the Province of Jujuy, such as the lack of trash cans, that makes the collection difficult and the lack of a separation system is a common deficit. The municipality does not have an update data of the quality and quantity of waste since 2003. In relation to public awareness there is a cooperative in cooperation with a private company that oversees the waste sorting. This program is a good initiative but it only covers 2000 blocks of the city and 14 000 households representing only the 10% of the total area. Regarding the financing there is a problem with financing, to cover not only the costs for the daily services but to secure financing for needed investments in infrastructure, treatment facilities, etc. The waste is transported to the landfill, which is using the cell method and is well constructed, considering important aspects as the size of the cells, quantity and variation of rainfall, the absorptive capacity of the waste as well as the control of the capacity of the cells for high degree compaction. However, the controlled landfill has technical problems during the extraction of biogas with leachates and oxygen that ingress into the holes where methane gas is extracted. In conclusion, the aspects with high priority in Salta are: classification of source and type of waste, cooperation, planning, financing, business opportunities and socio-economic aspects. The aspects with low priority are: system goals, collection and transport, waste treatment, law and regulations, public awareness, knowledge, environmental aspects. This shows that the government strategy is working positively regarding instruments and legislation. However, the control and financial system need improvement to afford the costs of the waste management system. The controlled landfill has technical problems during the extraction of biogas with leachates and oxygen that enter the holes where methane gas is extracted. There is also a potential to a) upgrade the biogas to biofuel or b) for generation of energy which is highly demanded in the Province. The conclusions of the assessment show that today the problem of waste management requires a broader approach and new methodologies to understand the situation of the decision makers in the area of waste management. Where not only the physical or technical aspects on a waste management system are considered but also broader and deeply oriented aspects that include other factors that describe the cause of the problems. The methodology applied in this thesis called WHAT (Waste Holistic Assessment Tool) can be used as a practical assessment tool in the future, for the analysis of the conditions for the establishment and development of integrated waste management system in a municipality. After the application of the WHAT methodology in this thesis it can be noticed that there is a potential of future improvements of the methodology as a) the inclusion of the Swedish knowledge and knowhow in the area.  b) potential to development of a software to provide a quick assessment in a municipality. c)  the inclusion of a database for the implementation of waste management. d) potential to include a financial tool with cost and benefits of the investments. According to the concept of sustainable waste management, the system needs to ensure health and safety aspects but in addition it must also be environmentally, effective, economically affordable and socially acceptable.

A fast increase of municipal solid waste (MSW) has become the most concerning environmental problem in Vietnam, especially in the Mekong Delta region, that is considered one of the most vulnerable deltas to climate change in the world. There are 12 provinces and one central city in MD that occupy about 12% of the whole area of the nation with 5% of MSW generated. However, there is no currently effective management system in place for treatment and management of MSW in the MD. Landfill is the sole treatment option for MSW right now. With a low-level plain, MD is facing the most serious environmental problem in the near future with an effect of climate change and sea level rising. The landfill should not be considered for long-term use in this area. Suitable treatment options for MSW should be applied together with other solutions for reuse, recycling and reduction of MSW as well as pollution prevention issue. An integrated MSW management approach in adaptation to climate change is considered necessary. / Sự tăng nhanh chất thải rắn đã trở thành vấn đề vấn đề môi trường được quan tâm nhất ở Việt Nam, đặc biệt là ở khu Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long một trong những đồng bằng dễ bị tổn thương bởi sự biến đổi khí hậu nhất trên thế giới. Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long có 12 tỉnh và một thành phố trực thuộc trung ương, chiếm 12% diện tích của cả nước với khoảng 5% lượng chất thải rắn phát sinh. Tuy nhiên, hiện nay chưa có một hệ thống quản lý hiệu quả cho chất thải rắn ở khu vực. Bãi rác là lựa chọn xử lý duy nhất ở thời điểm này. Với cao độ thấp, Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long đang đối mặt với ảnh hưởng nghiêm trọng của các vấn đề môi trường trong tương lai gần bởi ảnh hưởng của sự biến đổi khí hậu và nước biển dâng. Về lâu dài bãi rác không nên sử dụng ở khu vực này. Các lựa chọn xử lý thích hợp cho chất thải rắn cần được áp dụng cùng với các giải pháp khác như tái sử dụng, tái chế và giảm thiểu chất thải rắn cũng như các giải pháp ngăn ngừa ô nhiễm. Cách tiếp cận quản lý tổng hợp chất thải rắn nhằm ứng phó sự biến đổi khí hậu cần được xem xét.

Municipal solid waste (MSW) production has significantly increased in the rapidly urbanizing developing world and also changed composition with increased decomposable organic fraction in MSW (OFMSW) and plastics content. This has stressed the environment in many ways while city managers and citizens have responded with various technological and management solutions leading to a need for scientific, environmental, technological and sustainability assessments of the emerging problems. This sets the research agenda and framework for this study wherein the MSW generation, composition, processing and treatment methods, open dumping practices, environmental liability, natural degradation, sustainability issues etc. have been studied for the city of Bangalore as a model for such an emerging problem. Results show that MSW generation ranged from 0.1-0.4 kg/person/day and the OFMSW content was >80% emerging predominantly from fruit, vegetable and food wastes. About 10-15% of daily MSW generated appeared to be haphazardly dumped around the city in ~700 small to large dumps ranging from 10-6,500 m2 with potential for large GHG emissions. Their spread and characteristics were assessed for 3 consecutive years using a novel rapid survey method developed at IISc involving motorcycle borne student volunteer teams, GPS enabled locating, physical measurements and satellite image interpretations. Results indicated that dump sites were of three types, ephemeral small sized in the core area (303) functioning as transfer stations, medium sized ones in outer areas that were closed rapidly with construction debris and very soon inhabited with dwellings and the larger and longer duration dumps (2-3 years, 393) in the peripheral regions within 10 km from the city administrative boundary. This method was compared with physical measurement and satellite imaging and gave very high level of accuracy and is hence suggested for other cities as well. A smaller fraction of MSW is also dumped in open drains that lead to choking and flooding of 3 locations and this was studied with some detail. The environmental footprint of such dumps were assessed by theoretical and experimental on-site and off-site approaches and experimental results show low GHG (CH4) emissions and emission factors that was largely attributable to the shallow depth of dumps (~0.7 m) and its low pH. The decomposition rates were experimentally determined for open dump sites and drivers for decomposition monitored. By providing differential access to macro-fauna, meso-micro organisms and only soil contact in field scale experiments it was determined that the greatest loss in weight occurred primarily due to the rapid drying process that brings down decomposition within 6 days. During the early stages of decomposition, mostly micro with meso organisms are responsible and after 6 days, the moisture content falls below 60% making microbiological decomposition difficult and enabling other foraging organisms to take over. The weight loss (decay) could be patterned both on exponential decay or a two component fit representing a rapid initial decay followed by a slower long term decay process similar to soil application of organic matter. Monitoring the decentralized MSWM practices in the city suggests that small scale composting and biomethanation is gaining acceptance and is the possible direction for OFMSW in growing cities.

In order to address the growing waste concerns facing South Africa, the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) published the National Waste Management Strategy in 2012. The ultimate aim of the strategy is to effect the realisation of the objectives of the National Environmental Management Waste Act (NEMWA). The NEMWA is a sector environmental law based on the waste management hierarchy and its provisions apply to waste management activities in all three government spheres amongst others. The NWMS provides for eight distinct goals with accompanying targets to be met by 2016. Some of these goals and targets speak directly to the solid waste management mandate of local government. Concerns about the capacity of municipalities to see the execution of this mandate however, raise questions about the likelihood of some NWMS goals and targets being met by 2016. The North West Province serves as a case in point where recent reports by the office of the Auditor General have highlighted significant non-compliance in local government with the provisions of the existing waste law and policy framework of South Africa. It appears form these reports that a number of performance gaps and capacity constraints exist as far as it concerns municipal solid waste management. Against this back ground the study questions the governance strategies necessary within the municipalities of the North West Province to: a) address the existing performance gaps and capacity constraints and b) progressively move towards meeting the NWMS goals and targets as far as it concerns solid waste management. The study will explore the objectives, goals and targets of the NWMS against the background of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) and NEMWA, with a specific focus on solid waste management. The study will further review the documented performance gaps and capacity constraints as a far as it concerns solid waste management in municipalities in the North West province, specifically. / M. Environmental Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014