Abstract
The phenomenal population growth in Mosul City, from 179,650 people in 1957 (census year) to around 1,400,000 people in 2008 was associated with a corresponding increase in the number of families and residential units. The former increased from some 24,300 families in 1957 to around 200,000 families in 2008. As for the number of residential units, it approached 50,000 units in 1977 and around 115,000 units in 2006. Residential expansion was accompanied by a corresponding expansion in commercial buildings and other buildings, as well as the city's infrastructure. As a result, and in association with the increased job opportunities, solid waste generation in general, and residential and commercial solid waste in particular increased dramatically. The latter increased from less than 114 tons a-day (41,390 tons a-year) in 1957 to over 565 tons a-day (206,400 tons a-year) in 2006. The current solid waste management problems are, to a large extent, the result of the city's rapid population growth. The limited financial resources and technical capabilities, together with the absence of modern landfills and transfer stations, on the part of the directorate of Mosul Municipality (DMM) on the one hand, the carelessness on the part of Mosul University (MU), and absence of the active cooperation of the public, on the other are exacerbating factors. The main thrust of this study is to uncover some alarming facts specifically in Mosul City and presented them in a logical way. It was concluded by a number of recommendations. Two of them are the need for the organizing a population conference, and the need for replacing the current and defective profit maximization "mechanism of cooperation" between MU and the DMM by an alternative one..
