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Municipal solid waste recycling and associated markets in Delhi, India

Author

Listed:
  • Agarwal, Ankit
  • Singhmar, Ashish
  • Kulshrestha, Mukul
  • Mittal, Atul K.

Abstract

Recycling of the municipal solid waste (MSW) was investigated and analyzed in the Indian capital city of Delhi. It was found that an informal sector comprising waste recyclists and a hierarchy of recyclable dealers plays an important role in the management of solid waste. The associated activity transports nearly 17% of the waste to the recycling units (RU). In this process an entire market is created for the recycle trade. The present work covered an extensive study of this waste trade with emphasis on the most important unit of the waste chain, the recyclists. Extensive interviews and surveys with recyclists from various slums helped in evaluating the market mechanisms of the recycla trade in Delhi and in revealing details of this informal sector. Through a number of field interviews undertaken on recyclists, recyclables dealers and municipal authorities, a complete hierarchy from recyclists to the final sellers of the recycled product was identified and delineated and the profits at each level determined. The value addition to each product at every level of the waste trade was also determined. Two models were subsequently proposed to evaluate the possibility of formalizing the unorganized waste trade. It was concluded that it is possible to organize the sector, but this would leave more than 66,000 recyclists without employment, a consequence of organizing an activity that presently provides employment and daily living to nearly 89,600 recyclists who belong to the poorest strata of the society. The work also probes into the various aspects of the lives of the recyclists and provides details of the economics of MSW.

Suggested Citation

  • Agarwal, Ankit & Singhmar, Ashish & Kulshrestha, Mukul & Mittal, Atul K., 2005. "Municipal solid waste recycling and associated markets in Delhi, India," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 73-90.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:recore:v:44:y:2005:i:1:p:73-90
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2004.09.007
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. KS Rajmohan & C Ramya & Sunita Varjani, 2021. "Trends and advances in bioenergy production and sustainable solid waste management," Energy & Environment, , vol. 32(6), pages 1059-1085, September.
    2. Namho Cho & Mounir El Asmar & Mohammad Aldaaja, 2022. "An Analysis of the Impact of the Circular Economy Application on Construction and Demolition Waste in the United States of America," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-21, August.
    3. Bain, Ariana & Shenoy, Megha & Ashton, Weslynne & Chertow, Marian, 2010. "Industrial symbiosis and waste recovery in an Indian industrial area," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 54(12), pages 1278-1287.
    4. Gutberlet, Jutta, 2008. "Empowering collective recycling initiatives: Video documentation and action research with a recycling co-op in Brazil," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 52(4), pages 659-670.
    5. Singh, Rajeev Pratap & Singh, Pooja & Araujo, Ademir S.F. & Hakimi Ibrahim, M. & Sulaiman, Othman, 2011. "Management of urban solid waste: Vermicomposting a sustainable option," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 55(7), pages 719-729.
    6. Nandy, Biplob & Sharma, Gaurav & Garg, Saryu & Kumari, Shweta & George, Tess & Sunanda, Yengkhom & Sinha, Bärbel, 2015. "Recovery of consumer waste in India – A mass flow analysis for paper, plastic and glass and the contribution of households and the informal sector," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 167-181.
    7. Talyan, Vikash & Dahiya, R.P. & Anand, S. & Sreekrishnan, T.R., 2007. "Quantification of methane emission from municipal solid waste disposal in Delhi," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 50(3), pages 240-259.
    8. Anupama Singh & Papia Raj, 2019. "Sustainable recycling model for municipal solid waste in Patna," Energy & Environment, , vol. 30(2), pages 212-234, March.
    9. Carrie L Mitchell, 2009. "Trading Trash in the Transition: Economic Restructuring, Urban Spatial Transformation, and the Boom and Bust of Hanoi's Informal Waste Trade," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 41(11), pages 2633-2650, November.
    10. Ajay Singh, 2022. "Sustainable Waste Management Through Systems Engineering Models and Remote Sensing Approaches," Circular Economy and Sustainability,, Springer.
    11. Nazatul Haron & Shaufique F. Sidique & Alias Radam, 2017. "Examining the Attributes of Electronic Waste Recycling Service: A Choice Modelling Approach," Asian Social Science, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 13(8), pages 1-12, August.
    12. Fidelis, Reginaldo & Ferreira, Marco Antonio & Colmenero, João Carlos, 2015. "Selecting a location to install a plastic processing center: Network of recycling cooperatives," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 1-8.
    13. Schoot Uiterkamp, Bob Jan & Azadi, Hossein & Ho, Peter, 2011. "Sustainable recycling model: A comparative analysis between India and Tanzania," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 55(3), pages 344-355.
    14. Debnath, Somnath & Bose, S.K., 2014. "Exploring full cost accounting approach to evaluate cost of MSW services in India," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 87-95.
    15. Anwesha Borthakur, 2015. "Generation and Management of Electronic Waste in India," Journal of Developing Societies, , vol. 31(2), pages 220-248, June.

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