International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET)
e-ISSN: 2395-0056
Volume: 13 Issue: 02 | Feb 2026
p-ISSN: 2395-0072
www.irjet.net
Municipal Solid Waste Characterization and Feasibility of Decentralized Management in Rural Agricultural Settlements of Nuh District Mosim Khan1, Md Ahmad Ali2 1,2Phd Student, Department of Civil Engineering, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
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Abstract - The ongoing problem of effective municipal
systems tend to dispose of waste through open dumping and burning which results in serious environmental damage and health threats [3], [11].
solid waste management (MSWM) remains unsolved because agricultural areas struggle with waste disposal due to their lack of official waste collection systems and waste management facilities. The study investigates how households in Nuh district of Haryana create waste and what waste materials they produce to determine if decentralized solid waste management (DSWM) solutions work in rural agricultural communities. The research collected data from 25 households which represented three different income levels through a seven-day monitoring period. The research findings show that people generate more waste when their income increases because highincome households produce more waste than mediumincome households and medium-income households produce more waste than low-income households. All income groups produced their main waste material through domestic and agricultural activities which created biodegradable waste as the most common waste type. The winter season brought about changes in inert waste production because low and medium-income households started using biomass-based materials for cooking and heating purposes. The local community demonstrates how they can manage waste through their practices which include using biodegradable waste as animal feed and burning waste as extra fuel for cooking and using ash to improve their crop fields. The research demonstrates how DSWM methods help Nuh district agrarian rural areas solve the problem of open waste dumping while they work to achieve environmentally friendly resource recovery systems.
Rural communities that depend on agriculture produce a large amount of biodegradable waste which comes from their home and farming activities. The communities without proper MSWM systems implement informal methods which include reusing materials and giving livestock access to biodegradable waste and burning waste materials to create energy. The economical methods become dangerous for the environment when people fail to handle them correctly [3]. The traditional centralized waste management systems have not succeeded in meeting the specific needs of rural communities because they require expensive operations and face difficulties in moving waste while communities show low involvement [15]. The practice of Decentralized Solid Waste Management (DSWM) has gained recognition as an environmentally friendly solution that works especially well in rural areas. Decentralized systems enable waste management at or near the source of generation which leads to lower transportation expenses and better waste sorting results and environmental resource recovery through community-based methods [7], [14]. Community-based waste management systems demonstrate their effectiveness in increasing public engagement while teaching people to act in ways that benefit the environment.
Key Words: MSWM, Nuh district, Decentralized approach, Rural Waste Methods, Agrarian Communities
1.1 Waste Characterization Waste characterization requires identification and measurement of all waste types produced by a community. The research categorized municipal solid waste from Nuh district rural households into three groups which included biodegradable waste and non-biodegradable waste and inert waste. The study results demonstrated that all income groups produce their highest waste volume as biodegradable waste because of their agricultural way of life. Non-biodegradable waste mainly includes plastics and paper materials, while inert waste consists of ash that results from biomass cooking during the winter season [16]. The existing methods of localized waste reuse demonstrate how communities in rural areas can
1.INTRODUCTION The rapid growth of population and the shift in consumption habits together with the rise in waste production have created a situation where Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) becomes an urgent environmental and public health problem for developing nations. The problem of solid waste management in India presents its most difficult challenge to rural areas because these regions lack both official waste collection services and proper waste treatment facilities. Research indicates that rural areas without organized waste management
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