Urban areas are a focal point of environmental problems. Their impacts extend over a wide range of spatial scales, i.e. the household, the place of work, the neighborhood, the city the wider region and ultimately the world. In the rapidly growing cities of the developing countries, urban solid waste management is currently regarded as one of the most immediate an serious problems faced by the city authorities. To face this challenge, a project entitled as “Integrated Management and Safe Disposal of Municipal Solid Waste in Least Developed Asian Countries” shortly termed as “WasteSafe”, a 12 months (14 April, 2004 to 13 April, 2005) feasibility study was conducted at the Department of Civil Engineering, Khulna University of Engineering & Technology. The project was co-funded by the European Commission through its Asia Pro Eco Program and conducted in close cooperation with Prodipon, NGO, Bangladesh; Tribhuvan University, Nepal; Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand; Karlsruhe University, Germany and University of Leeds, United Kingdom. The case study areas are the seven mega cities – Dhaka, Chottogram, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Barisal and Kathmandu.
This project explored an integrated solid waste management concept based on storage and separation of waste at a source/family level, reuse and recycling, primary collection, on-site storage in an hygienic way, efficient collection and transportation, appropriate waste treatment and eventually and safe disposal of residual wastes. WasteSafe also critically identified the present status and constraints of MSW management of the study areas and proposed an approach to solve this problem putting priorities on some specific areas. It advocates the need of demonstration projects for the reality check of the employed approach for required refinement.
Then a three years research project, named as WasteSafe II, funded by the EU-Asia Pro Eco II Program was undertaken by Khulna University Engineering & Technology in close cooperation with Khulna City Corporation, Bangladesh; Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand; Bauhaus University Weimar, Germany; Bauhaus International Research & Education Center, German and Lublin University of Technology, Poland; aiming to develop a safe and sustainable management of MSW in Bangladesh through the practical application and the reality check of WasteSafe approach. In this project Khulna, the third largest city of Bangladesh was considered as the main case study area. WasteSafe II (2007-2009) project, 36 months tenure, was completed successfully in December 31, 2009. WasteSafe Internation Conference is one of the major activities of this project and hence the designated International Conference on Solid Waste Manangement: Technical, Environmental and Socio-Economical Contexts – WasteSafe 2009 was held on November 9-10, 2009. The success of this conference encouraged the organizers to continue this event in a regular pattern.
The success of the first ever International Conference on Solid Waste in Bangladesh was held at Khulna on November 9-10, 2009, paved the way and encouraged the organizers to continue this conference biennially in a particular month in the same place. To materialize such attempt, the WasteSafe 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023, the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th International Conference on Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries was held successfully at Khulna, Bangladesh on 13-15 February 2011, 10-12 February 2013, 15-17 February 2015, 25-27 February 2017, 23-24 February 2019, 27-28 February 2021 (virtual) and 25-26 February 2023, respectively.
To continue these activities, ‘WasteSafe 2025 – the 9th International Conference on Waste Management for Sustainable Solutions in Developing Countries’ has arranged at Dhaka, Bangladesh on 22-23 February 2025. The venue of the Conference is selected at the premises of cadet College Club Limited (CCCL), Purbachal Town, which is located besides the newly constructed 300ft. Purbachal express way, very close and easily accesible from major points of Dhaka city.
The theme of the conference are considered as (i) Solid Waste and Faecal sludge Management, (ii) Plastics, Medical and EEE Wastes Management and (iii) Integrated Solid Waste and Wastewater Management and Treatment. WasteSafe 2025 is jointly organized by WasteSafe Environmental Limited, Bangladesh; Bauhaus University Weimar, Germany; University of Padova, Italy. The strategic partners of the 9th edition of WasteSafe conference are: International Waste Working Group (IWWG), WaterAid Bangladesh and SNV Bangladesh. Technical papers were invited through website (www.wastesafe.info) and information bulletin from the academicians/ researchers/ professionals/ social activists working on the thematic areas of the conference around the worldwide well before the conference date.
In this international conference, the university students and faculty members; young researchers and professions, policy makers are able to exchange views and experiences at international level and to understand the concepts of the thematic areas as a whole. It is expected that the academicians, researchers, officials and professionals will unfold the prevailing reality in these sectors, innovative ideas, latest findings and experiences in this forum in order to provide the necessary guidelines through which a safe and sustainable system for solid waste & faecal sludge management can be implemented within limited existing social settings, resources and inherent constraints.
In this Conference Professor Werner Bidlingmaier, Germany and Professor Raffaello Cossu provided support, cooperation and guidelines from the very beginning since 2007, even before the first event in 2009. They are so generous in giving their consent to be involved as the advisors despite retirement from their regular professorship of the university. Professor Muhammed Alamgir, Bangladesh; Professor Eckhard Kraft and Professor Maria Cristina Lavagnolo, Italy shared the responsibilities jointly as the Chairpersons.
