Sustainability indicators for municipal solid waste management in an Amazonian riverine city: A baseline assessment and circular economy policy gaps in Bagua, Peru

Rapid urbanisation in Amazonian riverine cities poses persistent challenges for sustainable municipal solid waste (MSW) management, where hydrological connectivity amplifies environmental risks. This study aims to develop and operationalise a baseline sustainability indicator framework for municipal solid waste management in a riverine Amazonian city (Bagua, Peru; a high-density city adjacent to the Utcubamba River), integrating waste generation , composition, service coverage, and environmental exposure metrics — using stratified characterisation data (n = 115 waste-generating units, 920 observations) collected across four socio-environmental zones during March–April 2016, complemented by operational landfill records (2018–2023) as supplementary context. The citywide MSW generation rate was 0.570±0.043 kg/capita/day, with pronounced organic waste dominance (64.9 ± 4.1%). Spatial analysis revealed marked service inequities: collection coverage declined from 98.5% in the urban core to 45% in riverside informal settlements, with an estimated 3.11 tonnes/day of uncollected waste discharged directly to the Utcubamba River. Despite Peru's Circular Economy Law (DL 1501/2020), valorisation rates stagnated below 5% through 2023. Three features distinguish this study: it provides the first stratified, pre-policy baseline for a secondary Peruvian Amazonian riverine city; it integrates four diagnostic dimensions — generation, composition, spatial equity, and fluvial exposure — into a unified framework; and it furnishes the reference point against which Peru’s Circular Economy Law (DL 1501/2020) and the newly approved National Circular Economy Roadmap 2030 (HRNEC, DS N° 003–2025-MINAM) may be retrospectively evaluated. Findings reveal a Bagua valorisation rate of <5% against a HRNEC 2030 national target of 10%, flagging a policy-critical implementation deficit in secondary Amazonian cities. The six-step analytical framework is directly replicable for sub-national SDG monitoring in data-constrained riverine cities across the Global South