Author(s)
Dr Aprana Singh, Jaya Singh
- Manuscript ID: 140540
- Volume: 2
- Issue: 6
- Pages: 1711–1721
Subject Area: Other
Abstract
Mid sized Indian cities face growing pressure to manage increasing volumes of electronic waste (e waste) within existing municipal solid waste (MSW) systems. Globally, e waste generation reached 62 million metric tonnes in 2022, of which less than one quarter was formally documented as recycled. India alone produced over 14 lakh metric tonnes of e waste in 2025 26, a near doubling in just eight years. This paper investigates the formal waste management infrastructure in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, based on field observations and interviews conducted in July 2025 at the Municipal Solid Waste Collection and Transport Hub at PTS Chauraha and the Pahadia Waste to Energy plant. The study examines the public private partnership between Nagar Nigam Rewa and Asia Resil Resustainability Ltd., which operates under a twenty year contract and processes approximately ninety metric tons of waste daily. Using source level segregation across forty five wards with sixty three compartmentalized vehicles, the system separates dry, wet, hazardous (including e waste), and sanitary waste. Three transfer hubs each handle up to 150 metric tons daily before final processing at the Pahadia facility, where waste is sorted, recyclables extracted, and non recyclable materials converted to energy. The paper finds that while the formal system successfully manages mixed MSW and includes e waste as a hazardous fraction, it lacks dedicated e waste collection points, specialized dismantling capacity, and public awareness messaging specific to electronics. The paper concludes that the formal infrastructure provides a strong foundation, but without targeted e waste interventions, most e waste continues to flow into informal channels. Recommendations include amending the PPP contract to include e waste performance indicators and establishing a dedicated e waste drop off center at existing hubs.