This article assesses the status of the solid waste management system (SWMS) in Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan, using the material flow analysis approach, a widely applied method in waste management (WM) studies. It involves a systematic assessment of the material flows of solid waste under the current WM system. A material flow diagram is developed to visualize the input and output waste flows. This study shows the quantification and identification of municipal solid waste (MSW) flow for the year 2019, from the point of generation to the end-use and disposal. Results show that the MSW generation increased from 10,435 to 15,600 metric tonnes per day (TPD) between 2017 to 2019. Approximately, 75% of the waste generated is collected: formally (50%); and informally (25%). The material recovery is low, accounting for only 26.28% of the total waste. There is no official material recovery and recycling facility. Therefore, material recovery solely depends on the informal sector. Results show that 70% of the daily waste ends up in landfills, which is 3120 TPD more than the formally collected waste. This estimated waste of 3120 TPD flows in either due to disposal activities of the backlogged waste or informally collected waste. Overall, Karachi’s SWMS performs poorly with a significant need for improvement. This study recommends adopting integrated WM approaches and inclusion of the informal sector to ensure the affordability and sustainability of the WM system.

本文使用物质流分析方法评估了巴基斯坦最大城市卡拉奇的固体废物管理系统 (SWMS) 的状况，该方法是废物管理 (WM) 研究中广泛应用的方法。它涉及在当前 WM 系统下对固体废物的物质流进行系统评估。开发了一个材料流程图来可视化输入和输出废物流。本研究显示了 2019 年城市固体废物 (MSW) 流量的量化和识别，从产生点到最终使用和处置。结果显示，从 2017 年到 2019 年，城市固体废物的产生量从每天 10,435 公吨 (TPD) 增加到 15,600 公吨。大约 75% 的产生的废物被收集：正式（50%）；和非正式的（25%）。材料回收率低，仅占26。占总垃圾的 28%。没有官方的材料回收和再循环设施。因此，物质复苏完全依赖于非正规部门。结果表明，70% 的日常垃圾最终进入垃圾填埋场，比正式收集的垃圾多 3120 吨/天。由于积压废物的处置活动或非正式收集的废物，估计有 3120 吨/天的废物流入。总体而言，卡拉奇的 SWMS 表现不佳，亟需改进。本研究建议采用综合 WM 方法并纳入非正规部门，以确保 WM 系统的可负担性和可持续性。这比正式收集的废物多 3120 吨/天。由于积压废物的处置活动或非正式收集的废物，估计有 3120 吨/天的废物流入。总体而言，卡拉奇的 SWMS 表现不佳，亟需改进。本研究建议采用综合 WM 方法并纳入非正规部门，以确保 WM 系统的可负担性和可持续性。这比正式收集的废物多 3120 吨/天。由于积压废物的处置活动或非正式收集的废物，估计有 3120 吨/天的废物流入。总体而言，卡拉奇的 SWMS 表现不佳，亟需改进。本研究建议采用综合 WM 方法并纳入非正规部门，以确保 WM 系统的可负担性和可持续性。