Tehran Waste Reduction Plan (KAP)

Status
completed
100%
City

Tehran

Main actors

Local Government, City Government

Project area

Metropolitan Area

Duration

2019 - 2021

An innovative program to minimize waste production and maximize resource recovery.

Tehran Municipality’s Waste Management Organization (TWMO) has developed an executive and operational strategy, the Waste Reduction Plan, locally known as KAP, to achieve smart, innovative and sustainable waste management.

KAP has been developed using the results of the City’s master plan’s research and goals of  the third five year Urban Renewal Program in order to improve waste management. The main goals of KAP are to reduce the amount of waste produced at the source and subsequently reduce the waste landfills in the Aradkooh and Aabali complexes.

Tehran citizens will benefit from the project's environmental impact as it has socio-cultural benefits which ultimately lead to a just city.

Sustainable Development Goals

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all agesEnsure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for allBuild resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovationMake cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainableEnsure sustainable consumption and production patterns
City
Tehran, Iran
Size and population development
The city of Tehrān recorded a population of approximately 8.7 million in the 2016 census and 15 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehrān. The city covers an area of 730km2 with an average of 11,800 residents per square kilometre and a growing population rate.
Population composition
Tehrān is home to diverse ethnic and linguistic groups from all over Iran. The dominant language of Tehrān is the Tehrāni variety of the Persian language, and the majority of people in Tehrān identify themselves as Persians. Iranian Azeris form the second-largest ethnic group of the city, while ethnic Mazanderanis are the third-largest, Tehrān's other ethnic communities include Kurds, Armenians, Georgians, Bakhtyaris, Talysh, Baloch, Assyrians, Arabs, Jews and Circassians. The city of Tehrān’s inhabitants are primarily Muslim, the majority of whom are Shi’ites, with additional religious communities of Christian, Jewish and Zoroastrian minorities.
Main functions
Tehrān, the capital city of Iran and the Tehrān province, is located in north-central Iran at the foot of the Elburz mountain range. Tehran is the most populous city in Iran and Western Asia and has the second largest metropolitan area in the Middle East. The city if the political, economic and cultural centre of Iran.
Main industries / business
Tehrān is the economic centre of Iran. The country’s economy is dominated by the oil and gas industries, both controlled by the national government based in Tehrān. More recently, automobiles, electronics and electrical equipment, military weaponry, textiles and chemical products have become growing industries.
Sources for city budget
The Tehrān municipality draws its budget for public expenditure largely from construction taxes and duties, including taxes on municipal services and facilities and value-added tax on foreign investment and finance deals. Additionally, the city receives funding from the State government.
Political structure
The Municipality of Tehrān is responsible for the management of the city. The highest-ranking official is the Mayor, who is elected by the Islamic City Council of Tehrān. The City of Tehrān has 21 administrative districts.
Administrative structure
The Municipality of Tehrān is responsible for the management of the city. The highest-ranking official is the Mayor, who is elected by the Islamic City Council of Tehrān. The City of Tehrān has 21 administrative districts.
Website
http://en.tehran.ir/

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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Municipality of Tehran
Tehran, Iran

Municipality of Tehran

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