Performance analysis of municipal solid waste management using technical indicators

In most developing countries, municipal solid waste (MSW) management systems are in the transition phase to safeguard public health from waste-related hazards. However, these efforts are hindered by the lack of reliable, comprehensive, and high-quality data, which are crucial for informed decision-making and effective system improvements. Currently, sophisticated sets of technical indicators (TI) are being utilized to assess and benchmark MSW management systems for urban areas. In this study a set of 20 TIs were identified to evaluate the existing status of MSW management in four different sectors: (a) street cleaning and maintenance (SCM), (b) collection and transportation, (c) recovery and recycling of value-added products, and (d) disposal practices. Benchmark values for each indicator were set based on expert opinions and global studies. TIs for SCM frequency (twice per day) and coverage (93 %) showed higher resource allocation in high-litter-prone areas, while less populated outskirts received limited attention and resources for daily cleaning. This revealed the need for significant improvements in the existing practices and implementation of safer disposal methods. Similarly, the recyclable market value (RMV) analysis revealed that urban streets had the highest economic value (18.37 INR/kg) for recovered materials due to a higher concentration of recyclable products. The RMV for samples from transfer stations (15.72 INR/kg) and disposal sites (13.09 INR/kg) was lower due to the presence of high contamination levels and degraded material quality. This study can be a resource to establish an on-ground support system and incentive-based schemes to strengthen the roles of the informal sector in improving MSW management.