الملخص الإنجليزي
Al-Mawaleh market is a regional wholesale vegetable and fruit market that supplies
fruit and vegetable to all governorates of Oman in which waste generation from the
wholesale shops is around 700 tons per month. The collection and disposal of such
wastes need greater planning and regular adjustments from the city's waste managing
authority. Baseline data on solid waste (SW) generation rate and composition
characteristics are vital for any proper waste management to reduce environmental
impacts. The awareness of the vendors on waste generation and general behaviour to
comply with the basic disposal procedures set by the local authorities within the market
premises are crucial for the success of the program.
The sampling was carried out in four periods; Summer, Winter, Ramadan and Eid
festivals. In a day, sampling was carried out twice, once in the afternoon and the
evening. A total of 2160 SW samples were obtained from forty-five shops. The study
found that organic waste mostly fruit waste accounted the highest (39.20%) SW
fractions, followed by vegetables (31.49%) and plastics (12.83%). Cartons (7.65%)
and woods (8.85%) waste were the lowest due to their reuse potential by majority of
the market vendors. The generation of SW was found to be high and fluctuated
between seasons (winter, summer) and occasions with high production during
Ramadan period. This variation is statistically verified and may be attributed to nature
of demand and supply, consumption pattern with seasons and special events, etc.
Proximate analysis of the organic wastes are characterized by high mineralogical and
elemental compositions. Their high moisture content (84.47%) could lead to the
production of potent greenhouses gases such as CO2 and CH4 at landfill sites if
sustainable energy recovery technologies are not employed. The major (70 percent)
decomposable organic waste (fruits and vegetables waste) from the market is a
potential source of feedstock for energy production. If the waste management
strategies such as composting, recycling and energy recovery are exercised, there will
be reduction in SW currently getting disposed to the landfill.
In addition, a total of 60 shops were selected based on the minimum sampling size for
vendor survey and from all shops a total of 120 respondents participated in the study.
The survey study found that majority of vendors have limited awareness on sustainable
SW management practices. This inturn creates segregation and 3Rs management
challenges. However, most of the vendors support the idea of managing solid waste in
the market (95%). The survey work also revealed that any intervention to create
awareness, education and training to improve Solid Waste Management System
(SWMS) in the market needs to consider demographic, education levels of the vendors
in the market and also identify proper channels of communication. Currently, the
absence of waste segregation in the market makes any recycling attempt difficult to
practice and may become a constraint in future recycling plans. The data presented in
this study from Al-Mawaleh market can serve as a baseline and provide useful
guidance for future national-scale SW accounting by covering all potential wholesale
markets in Oman.
