Authors : Akash Kundu; Vinay Yadav

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 5 - May

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/yc2datkv

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/44xfkst4

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26may2063

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Abstract : Municipal solid waste management in India is a complex socio-technical challenge shaped by rapid urbanization, chang- ing consumption patterns, heterogeneous waste composition, infrastructure deficits, informal recycling networks, environ- mental externalities, and evolving policy mandates. This pa- per presents an integrated decision-support methodology for evaluating and optimizing urban waste-management systems in the Indian context. The proposed framework combines five complementary analytical layers: life-cycle assessment for environmental quantification, system dynamics for long- term,, feedback-rich simulation, artificial-intelligence-based forecasting forwaste-generationn prediction, fuzzy TOPSIS for technology ranking under uncertainty, and reinforcement learning for adaptive policy sequencing. The framework is designed around Indian municipal realities, including high organic fractions, variable collection efficiency, monsoon ef- fects, festival-linked waste spikes, legacy dumpsitesdepen- dence on the informal sectorce, and limited municipal finance. Recent policy and empiricalareeontext is incorporated, in- congoingntinuing exthethe pansion of Swachh Bh — — t Mission–Urban 2.0, India’s urban waste generation of approx- imately 150,000 tonnes per day, and global projections that municipal solid waste may increase substantially by 2050. The methodology supports comparative assessment of san- itary landfilling, composting, anaerobic digestion, material recovery, waste-to-energy, refuse-derived fuel systems, and biomining of legacy waste. By coupling environmental, eco- nomic, technical, social, and policy variables, the framework provides a reproducible, transparent, and adaptive basis for sustainable waste-management planning in Indian cities.

Keywords : Municipal Solid Waste; India; Life Cycle Assess- Ment; System Dynamics; Artificial Intelligence; Fuzzy TOPSIS; Reinforcement Learning; Circular Economy; Swachh Bharat Missiourbanizationtimisation.

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