This book presents the findings of a Department for International Development (DFID) funded project. It has been written for policy-makers and professional staff of urban government, development agencies and non-government organizations in low-income countries.

The book aims to help improve the poor practices of municipal solid waste management that prevail in many low-income countries - a subject that has received comparatively little attention to other aspects of infrastructure such as water supply and transport. It is a complex subject embracing waste collection, transfer, haulage and disposal and its impacts are wide, including for example, effects on environmental health, municipal finance and management, waste reuse, and informal sector employment.