Development of Low-Cost Decentralized Waste Processing Model for Sustainable Urban Waste Management in Sakoli-Sendurwafa, Maharashtra, India

Abstract

Rapid urbanization, increasing municipal solid waste generation, poor segregation practices, and inadequate treatment infrastructure have intensified environmental and operational challenges in small urban local bodies. Conventional centralized waste management systems are associated with high transportation cost, low recyclable recovery efficiency, excessive landfill dependency, and environmental pollution. The present study focuses on the development and experimental evaluation of a low-cost decentralized municipal solid waste processing framework for Sakoli–Sendurwafa. Municipal solid waste samples were collected from residential, commercial, institutional, and market regions for waste characterization and resource recovery studies. The proposed decentralized framework integrated wet and dry waste segregation, windrow composting, Material Recovery Facility (MRF), recyclable recovery systems, reject waste stabilization, and low-cost municipal processing infrastructure. Experimental evaluation included segregation efficiency assessment, compost stabilization studies, recyclable recovery efficiency, landfill diversion analysis, and sustainability performance evaluation. The developed system achieved segregation efficiency of 92.4%, recyclable recovery efficiency of 84.8%, compost stabilization efficiency of 81.6%, and landfill diversion efficiency exceeding 90%. Aerobic windrow composting effectively stabilized biodegradable waste and generated mature compost suitable for agricultural application. The decentralized framework significantly reduced transportation burden, landfill dependency, and environmental pollution compared to conventional centralized municipal systems. The proposed model demonstrated strong technical feasibility, environmental sustainability, and economic applicability for small municipalities and semi-urban urban local bodies. The framework provides a scalable circular economy-based municipal solid waste management strategy suitable for sustainable urban environmental management in developing regions.

Introduction

The study focuses on developing a low-cost, decentralized municipal solid waste management system for Sakoli–Sendurwafa Municipal Council, Maharashtra, India. Rapid urbanization, population growth, industrialization, and changing consumption patterns have increased municipal waste generation, while poor segregation, inefficient collection, low recycling, and open dumping have created environmental and public-health problems.

The study proposes a decentralized waste-processing framework that reduces dependence on centralized disposal and transportation. The framework integrates:

• Source segregation
• Organic waste composting
• Material Recovery Facility (MRF)
• Recyclable recovery and storage
• Reject waste stabilization
• Scientific final disposal

Problem Statement

The Sakoli–Sendurwafa area faces increasing waste generation, open dumping, inadequate processing facilities, low recyclable recovery, and high transportation costs. The absence of decentralized treatment and recovery facilities reduces environmental and economic sustainability.

Aim

To develop and experimentally evaluate a low-cost, sustainable decentralized municipal solid waste processing framework that improves waste treatment, resource recovery, landfill diversion, and environmentally safe disposal.

Main Objectives

The study aims to:

1. Characterize waste from residential, commercial, institutional, and market areas.
2. Develop an integrated decentralized system for segregation, composting, recycling, and reject stabilization.
3. Measure segregation efficiency, recyclable recovery, composting performance, and landfill diversion.
4. Evaluate environmental and economic sustainability.
5. Develop a scalable circular-economy-based model suitable for small and semi-urban municipalities.

Methodology

Waste was studied in Sakoli and Sendurwafa using samples from residential, commercial, institutional, and public-utility areas. Waste was collected manually for seven consecutive days and classified into different fractions.

The experimental system consisted of:

• Segregation platform
• Windrow composting unit
• Material Recovery Facility
• Recyclable storage area
• Reject stabilization area

Low-cost local materials such as brick masonry, PVC pipes, HDPE bins, GI mesh, bamboo, and tarpaulin were used.

Waste Composition

The sampled municipal waste consisted of:

The high proportion of organic waste (55%) indicates strong potential for composting and resource recovery.

Composting

The biodegradable fraction was treated through aerobic windrow composting. The operating conditions were:

• Moisture: 50–60%
• Temperature: 40–65°C
• pH: 6.5–8.0
• Composting period: 40–50 days

Conclusion

The present study successfully developed and experimentally evaluated a low-cost decentralized municipal solid waste processing framework for Sakoli–Sendurwafa Municipal Council, Maharashtra, India. The developed framework achieved: 1) High segregation efficiency 2) Effective compost stabilization 3) Significant recyclable recovery 4) Substantial landfill diversion 5) Improved environmental sustainability The proposed decentralized system demonstrated strong technical feasibility, environmental sustainability, and economic applicability for small municipalities and semi-urban urban local bodies. The study confirms that decentralized circular economy-based municipal waste processing systems can significantly improve sustainable urban environmental management while minimizing landfill dependency and environmental pollution.

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Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Priyanka Tembhurkar, Laxmi Gupta, Dilip Budhlani, Manthan Banerjee. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.