From Waste Crisis to Circular Opportunity: Rethinking Municipal Solid Waste Governance in South Asia
Published in Earth & Environment and Law, Politics & International Studies
Municipal solid waste management has become one of the defining urban governance challenges of our time, especially in South Asia. Rapid urbanization, population growth, weak municipal infrastructure, and fragmented institutional arrangements have made it increasingly difficult for cities to manage rising volumes of waste effectively. A recent review article on urban governance and circular economy pathways for municipal solid waste management in South Asia offers a timely and important contribution to this debate.
The article is based on a systematic and bibliometric review of 592 peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2025. One of its clearest findings is that scholarly attention to this issue has grown rapidly over the past decade, increasing from fewer than 30 publications in 2015 to more than 130 in 2024. This sharp rise reflects a broader recognition that waste management is not just a technical issue. It is also closely tied to governance, sustainability, climate resilience, and public health.
A major insight from the review is that India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan account for more than 80% of municipal solid waste generated in South Asia, yet recycling rates remain low and open dumping is still widespread. The article argues that this is not simply the result of inadequate technology. Instead, it points to deeper structural issues such as weak policy coordination, limited financing, poor institutional capacity, and a lack of integration between national, municipal, and community-level actors.
The study also shows that the research landscape in South Asia is uneven. India and Bangladesh dominate publication output and institutional contributions, while countries such as Bhutan, Maldives, and Afghanistan remain underrepresented. This imbalance mirrors broader regional inequalities in research capacity, waste data systems, and governance attention. As a result, some of the countries facing unique waste management challenges are still not adequately reflected in the evidence base.
Another important contribution of the article is its discussion of a shifting policy and research agenda. Earlier work focused more heavily on disposal, landfills, and technical treatment methods. In contrast, recent studies increasingly emphasize circular economy approaches such as recycling, composting, waste-to-energy systems, stakeholder participation, and the inclusion of informal waste workers. This shift is significant because it reframes waste not as an end-of-pipe problem, but as part of a broader urban system tied to resource recovery, environmental protection, and livelihoods.
The central message of the article is clear: South Asia must move beyond fragmented and disposal-oriented waste systems toward governance models that are inclusive, integrated, and circular. That means better policy coherence, stronger local institutions, recognition of informal sector contributions, and greater alignment with sustainability goals such as SDG 11 and SDG 12. For policymakers, researchers, and urban practitioners alike, this review offers both a diagnosis of the current crisis and a roadmap toward a more resilient and sustainable future.
Full Article References
Hossain, I., Haque, A. A systematic and bibliometric review on urban governance and circular economy pathways for municipal solid waste management in South Asia. Discov Cities 3, 13 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44327-026-00195-2
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