The Spillover Cost of Waste and its Management: A Study with Reference to Madurai District

Madurai City generates approximately 450 tonnes of waste daily, out of which 88% of them are from residential and commercial sources. The city's waste is dumped at an exclusive dump yard located at a place called Avaniapuram, an area located on the outskirts of Madurai. The collected garbage/ waste is dumped and burnt at the same site causing hardships to the people residing nearby. The process of garbage dumping and garbage burning is a daily affair. While the garbage is being dumped, the residents of the nearby places are subjected to various hardships like foul smell, unhygienic surroundings and if the same garbage is burnt, it further adds to the misery causing eye irritation, nausea to the local people. The objective of this paper is to find out how the garbage dumped can be managed so as to bring down the ill effects of the same and to facilitate a happy life for the people residing nearby. The paper also suggests solutions for the problems of garbage dumping and burning and to set up an efficient garbage disposal system for the people of Madurai.