Waste has been a major environmental issue everywhere including the Doda region of Jammu and Kashmir, due to the increase in the population and the standard of living of people. High standards of living of ever increasing population have resulted in an increase in the quantity and variety of waste generated. It is now realized that if waste generation continues recklessly then very soon it would be beyond rectification. Management of solid waste has, therefore, become very important in order to minimize the detrimental aftermaths of solid wastes. The Municipal Solid Waste generated from different activities in the township and city areas are a subject of deep concern for its proper management. The improper management of the Municipal solid waste is a major cause for water, air and soil pollution. Despite some progress, municipal solid waste still remains one of the major challenges in environmental management. The results shows that the composition of the waste generated in study area is dominated by food wastes, grasses and leaves (89.59%) followed by plastic and wood (10.41%). The analysis also indicated that solid waste management capacity of the study area was under stress due to different reasons. Currently, the overall technical arrangement right from collection including transport, storage, discharge and disposal is still in poor condition, which leads to environmental and health risks. Finally, it is recommended that these problems should be solved in an integrated manner by improving legislation, environmental education and solid waste management facilities so as to reduce the risk on environmental and public health. The study carried out was first of its kind in the Doda town of Jammu and Kashmir, India.

Keywords: Seeds; Solid waste; Characterization; Generation rate; Disposal; Solid waste management.