SSWMB to launch mass awareness drives for waste segregation

KARACHI: The Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) is set to launch mass awareness campaigns across Karachi to encourage households to segregate domestic waste, enabling the extraction of maximum recyclable and compostable materials from the city’s daily municipal waste, which currently amounts to up to 14,000 tonnes a day.

As part of this initiative, the SSWMB will soon sign a memorandum of understanding with the Sindh Education Department to introduce waste segregation awareness activities in schools. Similar drives will also be conducted at university campuses to engage and involve the academic community.

Talking to The News, SSWMB Managing Director Tariq Ali Nizamani said that up to 50 per cent of Karachi’s municipal waste is organic, and can be converted into compost.

Nizamani said that special training sessions would be held to educate residents on how to convert their kitchen waste into compost at home, thereby reducing the volume of waste sent to landfill sites.

He pointed out that around 30 per cent of urban waste consists of plastic, cardboard, paper and other solid materials, which can also be segregated and recycled into useful products.

He also said that two composting plants have already been established in Karachi, and a pilot project for biogas production is currently under way.

He added that three acres have been allocated in Karachi’s Cattle Colony for a full-scale biogas production facility, and that the SSWMB would soon take possession of the site.

Moreover, two new garbage transfer stations (GTSs) will be constructed this year under the World Bank-funded Solid Waste Emergency & Efficiency Project, with two more GTS facilities scheduled for completion next year. These stations will boost the SSWMB’s capacity to process plastic, organic and other recyclable waste more efficiently.

Nizamani expressed hope that two private firms, which have received letters of intent from the Sindh government for waste-to-energy projects, would commence construction of their plants within the next few months.

He disclosed that the first waste-to-energy facilities are expected to become operational within the next 18 months, marking a significant advancement in sustainable urban waste management. He emphasised that these projects are being implemented to modernise Karachi’s waste disposal system through maximum public participation.

Simultaneously, the SSWMB aims to ensure recyclable material is extracted in a regulated and scientific manner, and is proposing strict penalties for informal waste pickers who recklessly dump non-recyclable waste into drains and along highways after collecting reusable items.

Complementing the efforts of civic agencies like the SSWMB in promoting responsible waste collection, recycling and reuse, a recent mass awareness campaign supported by WWF-Pakistan and initiated by Tetra Pak reached over 12,200 students across 114 schools in major urban centres, including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Sialkot.

The campaign delivered 124 interactive sessions using animations, storytelling and hands-on activities to teach children about sustainability, the importance of recycling, and proper waste disposal. A carton collection competition was also held, with the collected material donated to Green Earth Recycling.

Last year alone, students had collected 1.24 tonnes of used beverage cartons, roughly equivalent to 50,000 individual packs. Top-performing schools received certificates and awards, reinforcing a sense of achievement and civic responsibility.

Encouraged by the campaign’s success, Tetra Pak plans to expand its reach further by partnering with additional like-minded organisations, according to a company spokesperson.