Best Practices of Solid Waste Management and Its Application to Nashik City

Solid waste management (SWM) in urban areas is a pressing issue today. With an ever-increasing population accompanied by improvements in the standard of living in society, waste generation has rapidly increased. As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), for 2020–21, India produced around 65 million MT of waste annually. Thus, management of waste at all levels, right from the initial collection point and its transport to properly segregating, processing, and disposing of waste, is necessary. The strategic focus of waste management in the nation has rapidly changed during the last few years. As per Swachh Survekshan 2022, Indore and Navi Mumbai are respectively at number one and number three. Planned, systematic, and consistent approaches have helped the cities achieve this position. Looking up to these cities and following their best practices, the paper focuses on developing strategies for the city of Nashik (currently ranked 20), helping it ascend the ladder and become one of the cleanest cities in the country. The study focuses on adapting various strategies to tackle SWM issues from the micro to macro levels as well as citizen participation. Further, on the basis of the above study, recommendations are given, focusing primarily on waste segregation at the source, decentralization systems, transport efficiency, and strict actions by the authorities.