Assessment of the current municipal solid waste management system in Tehran, Iran: challenges and opportunities for sustainable development

With over 9 million population, challenges of waste management system (WMS) of Tehran can offer some lessons to other middle-income cities. Despite all the investments and trials, the recycling rate has been almost constant (about 18%) during the last decade. Short-term decisions, lack of true understanding of different parts of the system, and non-participation of other stakeholders are the most important weaknesses of governance of the WMS in Tehran, with inclusivity and financial sustainability that seem to be the most challenging aspects of Tehran’s WMS. Inadequate waste management framework is another weakness of the governance system, which is considered a national challenge. Although the disposal methods have been improved to some extent and the capacity of composting plants have been increased, the quality of 3Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle) is still very poor. Controlled landfill with daily cover is the main method used for disposal of about 50% of generated wastes.