Analysis of output, component characteristics and management status of municipal solid waste on the Tibetan plateau

This article describes the population of Xizang, the composition of municipal solid waste, and the distribution of municipal solid waste treatment facilities. With the development of Xizang's economy and tourism, the amount of municipal solid waste cleared and transported in Xizang has increased from 380,000 tons in 2003 to 692,200 tons in 2021, with an average annual growth rate of 4.56%. The proportions of kitchen waste, paper waste, and ash waste in the municipal solid waste components in Xizang have significantly decreased over the past 10 years. For example, the proportion of ash decreased from 22.83% in 2012 to 13.04% in 2021. Overall, recyclables such as paper, plastic rubber, textiles, glass, metal and wood and bamboo accounted for between 55.69% and 58.22% of the total municipal solid waste in Lhasa City. The disposal of municipal solid waste in Xizang was mainly through landfill. There are more than 130 landfill sites, 1 incineration plant, 5 pyrolysis pilot sites, 2 kitchen waste treatment plants, and more than 160 waste transfer stations for municipal solid waste disposal in Xizang. The designed daily disposal capacity of municipal solid waste is 3,768.4 tons per day.