Solid Waste Management in rural areas in Nepal
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By Katja Seifert
Spring 2023
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Waste management in Nepal has been a problem for many years, especially rural areas with a large tourism rate. The lack of organisation, management, communication, system plan, infrastructure, road structure and economical funding are only a small selection of the current issues within Solid Waste Management Systems (SWMS) that Nepal is facing. Rural regions are dealing with severe sustainability challenges, among others improper waste treatment and recycling options, where inadequate education and knowledge are common issues. There is insufficient communication between local residents and the government, where limited possibilities for participation in decision-making projects are provided for the local residents. These problems are met by applying a participatory design approach (PA) for designing a waste bin with local stakeholders in the Ranipauwa village, Muktinath in Lower Mustang, Annapurna Region, Nepal.
One main question related to research and development was how to develop a sustainable waste bin design for rural areas in Nepal. This is responded to by combining different service design and product design methods and tools, including PA to the design process.
The aim and task of the project is to deliver a functional and high-fidelity full scaled prototype for collecting plastic bottles, and to test it at the rural location. As a result, from conducting several PA sessions a 1:1 scale prototype was created in line with local manufacturing techniques. Feedback and input indicate that the design withholds wishes, demands and requirements that were outlined by the stakeholder. The user experience is met by implementing tools and methods such as interviews, surveys, PA sessions and user testing with the proposed user target group.
The presented design solution in this thesis does not reflect a revolutionary and innovative fancy high-tech product, but rather a realistic, affordable, and long-lasting product that aims to fit both the current situation and withhold possibilities of future expansion. Conclusively, the product is aimed for rural areas and not developed countries. Hence, the design is amending specific and unique criteria of the rural area.
Full thesis: https://ntnuopen.ntnu.no/ntnu-xmlui/handle/11250/3089904
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