Historically the main method of waste disposal and waste management in Tehran has been landfilling, with more than 5,500 tons of municipal solid waste and more than 30,000 tons of construction waste buried in the Aradkooh and Aabali complexes every day. Due to the growing amount of waste, an increase in environmental issues and the shortage of land for waste became a significant concern for the Municipality.

Until recently, Tehran Municipality has lacked a comprehensive and coherent waste management plan. KAP, in line with the policy of improving the quality of life of Tehran citizens, became an important issue for the Tehran Municipality Waste Management Organization. Considering all stages of the obligatory elements, the waste management system created a plan for all types of waste under the management of the Municipality, including:

1. household and non-household waste;
2. construction and civil wastes;
3. non-hazardous hospital waste;
4. special wastes such as bulky and outdoor wastes.

The KAP program has the following objectives:

• Increase public awareness of sustainable waste management practices to ensure support from citizens
• Support the growth of digital technology and smartification
• Increase the mechanization growth rate
• ensure efficient cost management
• improve the quality and quantity of recycling
• improve the overall hygiene of waste collection services
• reduce garbage scavenging
• address waste burial and environmental concerns
• create transparency in contracts’ assignments, statistics, etc.

The KAP program was developed using in six operational pillars.

1. Change in the procedure of waste storage and disposal
2. Improving the collection and maintenance proceedures with an emphasis on hygiene, collection of dry and wet wastes.
3. Change in the transfer of waste procedure after collection.
4. Smart programs and development of executive-monitoring systems and public education and information regarding waste management.
5. The issue of bulky waste management with an approach to on-site management.
6. Optimizing waste management in the last stage of final processing and recycling of materials and energy in the Aradkooh and Abali complexes.

The indicators for waste production, waste separation at the source, the amount of waste entering the transfer stations and disposal complexes, and people's general participation were considered when evaluating the process of waste reduction and estimating deviations from waste burial. Data mining techniques and the capacities of the newly launched video control center in the Waste Management Organization were also used in data analysis.

The Tehran Waste Management Organization plans to achieve the following:

1. An integrated online waste management database that includes data from the stages of production to the final disposal of waste.
2. Establish an integrated online waste management information system from the stages of the production to final disposal.
3. Seek an improvement of 5% compared to the annual base index for waste separation at the source and waste recycling.
4. Achieve an annual 10% reduction with normal burial waste.
5. A minimum of 10MW sustainable energy to be obtained from waste by the end of the third Urban Renewal Program.
6. The burial of Construction waste to be reduced by an annual rate of 5% compared to the base index.
7. Measures will be taken to control and organize the activity of formal and informal waste separation units, and the activity of unauthorized waste recycling centers will be prevented.
8. The Tehran Waste Management Organization's revenue and financial resource management will be improved during the program and goals set for its autonomy and financial independence.

The Lead agency for the project is The Tehran Municipality’s Waste Management Organization.

The following resources have been used to implement KAP:

Technical:

• Standardization of current processes and methods of the waste management system operations,
• Technical and executive groundwork to reduce production and increase waste separation, processing and recycling,
• Optimization of existing processes in adopting waste management technologies.

Finances:

• Using Municipality of Tehran’s budget for performing implementation measures,
• Improving outsourcing system and verifying activities for Waste Management Organization,
• Diversification of financial resources,
• Perusing and activating national and international capacities to attract funds.

Human resources:

• Improving the performance and supervisory role of institutions and non-governmental organizations in the field of waste management,
• Improving the professional performance of organizational personnel.

Some of the obtained results are as follows:

1. Changing the form of storage and receptacles became the responsibility of producers.
2. Changes in waste transfer procedures after collection.
3. Improving collection and maintenance with emphasis on hygiene and separation at the source.
4. Smartification and development of cultural and social infrastructures.
5. The issue of bulky waste management with emphasis on on-site management.
6. Optimizing waste management at the destination of final processing and recycling of materials and energy in the Aradkooh and Abali centers.

At the beginning of the project, there was resistance from citizens regarding the new receptacles and the new waste collection methods as they were used to having no restrictions regarding the amount of waste disposed of and the time of disposal. As a result, the implementation of the plan and optimization of the waste management process was not popular with residents. However, attempts were made to overcome these problems by holding several extensive cultural and educational programs as well as conducting training courses and explaining the problem and the necessity of the project’s implementation.

The most important issues and challenges of waste management in Tehran were:

• Problems related to citizen behaviour including 24-hour waste disposal, lack of wet and dry waste separation, unconventional waste production, incorrect consumption pattern and garbage scavenging.
• Problems related to waste management at the regional level including deficiencies in the collection, transfer and disturbance caused by waste stations throughout the city.
• Challenges of final processing and disposal of waste including land problem for disposal and processing, environment disturbance, soil and water pollution.
• Problems related to inadequate, low quality and dangerous recycling including the operation of illegal recycling units around Tehran and the subsequent environmental consequences. 

The KAP program has had produced positive environmental, economic and social outcomes. It has helped to modify consumption patterns, reduce waste production and has created a culture of reuse and recycling. The reduction of toxicity and separation of waste at the source of production has been supported by the citizens. Additionally, KAP has helped with the preservation of natural resources and the environment, reduced pollution and costs of urban management. Moreover, it has reduced the spread of disease and landscape deterioration and other social problems.

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