Rethinking sustainability: a review of Liberia’s municipal solid waste management systems, status, and challenges

• Published in: Journal of material cycles and waste management Vol. 22; no. 5; pp. 1299 - 1317
• Main Authors: David, Victor Emery, John, Yasinta, Hussain, Shahid
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo Springer Japan 2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Civil Engineering; Decision making; Developing countries; Dynamic models; Economic conditions; Engineering; Environmental Management; Initiatives; LDCs; Legislation; Management systems; Motivation; Municipal solid waste; Municipal waste management; Public health; Public participation; Recovering; Recycling; Resource management; Resource recovery; Review; Reviews; Small business; Solid waste management; Sustainability management; Sustainable development; Sustainable waste management; System effectiveness; Urbanization; Waste management; Waste Management/Waste Technology; Liberia; Municipal solid waste (MSW); Regulatory frameworks; Urbanization; Liberia; Recycling; Indiscriminate dumping
• ISSN: 1438-4957; 1611-8227
• DOI: 10.1007/s10163-020-01046-x

The appalling state of Liberia’s municipal solid waste management system (MSWM) is the motivation for this review and analysis. Solid waste management protocols and system dynamic modeling support policy development as it uses waste prevention to explain the complex waste management systems and suggests methods for effective management. However, creating an effective waste system goes beyond the formulation of policies and legislation; it involves financial and technological proficiency, skilled human capacity, technical, social, resource recycling, educational awareness programs, and active public participation. Because of urbanization, Liberia’s municipal solid waste (MSW) problems have become heightened, thereby impacting the economic, social, and political fabric of society by overburdening infrastructure and social facilities. The impact of urbanization must be addressed because urbanization, amongst several factors, including unsustainable management of MSW, degrades the environment and presents risks to public health. The purpose of this review was to highlight the current waste management activities in Liberia and provide information to the readers about the challenges facing the waste management sector and the challenges impeding the development of a sustainable waste management system. In Liberia, waste management activities are getting worse daily due to shortage of a comprehensive waste management framework, the absence of guidelines regarding the responsibilities of waste generators, and the decision-makers' lack of intent to design and implement a sustainable and integrated management system. Recommendations for collaborative efforts are made by focusing on delivering a waste strategy which concentrates on waste minimization, recycling, resource recovery, and promoting sustainable waste management practices for communities, small businesses, corporations, and government institutions in Liberia and other developing countries.