Assessment of Spatial Distribution of Waste Bins in Karachi Through GIS Techniques

Abstract

Karachi has been facing various issues of municipal solid waste management. In the early 1960s, Karachi
was the centre of leisure, now it has stretched out due to its increasing population. However, due to insufficient
facilities and ineffective strategies, issues related to waste management are also increasing. For the problems related to
waste management, the fundamental units available are municipal trash bins. In this study, 409 GPS point data of
collection points of waste have been assembled from various areas of Karachi for assessment of the spatial distribution
of waste bins. A spatial variation of distance between the trash bins is also identified through ArcGIS 10.3.1
cartography tool of generalization, which aggregates the points of trash bins by making polygon shape of the same
distance. Globally, Geospatial techniques are used for changing the system of waste management. This is the first study
that assessed the suitable distance of bins placement in the area under focus. The results revealed that there are no
principles acquired by the government for the placement of trash bins with appropriate distance. In many towns of
Karachi like Landhi and Korangi, bins are absent which impels people to throw their trash anywhere in the city.