Scenarios of waste management nexus in Bangalore

Abstract In this study, a comprehensive review of Bangalore's waste management has been provided to elaborate on the current status. It identifies municipal solid waste management (MSWM) problems and limitations that hamper improvement in the current waste management practices and suggest measures to alleviate these problems. The information was collected from Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) personnel with different responsibilities within the system, relevant stakeholders, and representative community members. Bangalore city generates around 4500MT/day of municipal solid waste (MSW) at an average of 0.5 kg/day/per capita, with about 8.4 million people. Less than 60% of waste is collected; approximately 15% of waste is processed finally dumped into landfills. While recycling has not reached its full potential in Bangalore urban and rural spaces, landfills, burning garbage, and illegal dumping are abundantly found. Provision of services by BBMP is impeded by lack of budget, inadequate technical capacity, lack of comprehensive legal and regulatory framework, absence of policy, weak enforcement by-laws, insufficient data on waste generation rate, and waste characteristics, poor urban planning, and infrastructures and socio-cultural patterns.