Abstract: Population explosion, high urbanization and improved living standards have induced rapid changes in quantities and material compositions of solid waste generation globally. Until recently solid waste disposal in landfills and open dump sites was considered more economical and it is the most widely used methods in developing countries. Hence the potentials in the other alternative methods such as the resource recovery and recycling and their integration into waste management have been scarcely assessed. However, the ever growing challenges posed by the rapidly increasing quantities and compositions of solid wastes in developing countries led to the searching for alternative waste disposal methods. In this regard the paper presented an assessment of the resource potentials of municipal solid waste materials arising from cities in developing countries as a strategy for sustainable solid waste management. Using published data on solid waste composition the paper has identified that there is high potentials of composting in the solid waste stream from cities in developing countries. In conclusion, it recommended the recovery of organic waste material and papers for composting and the recycling of plastic, metals, textiles and others to explore their resource recovery potentials. This will largely reduce the ultimate quantities of solid waste for disposal and lower the operating costs. This strategy will achieve sustainable waste management in developing countries. It is hoped that the paper has provided a useful guide for wastes management policy decisions in developing countries.