ASSESSING SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES AND DATA-DRIVEN IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN AHILYANAGAR DISTRICT, MAHARASHTRA, INDIA

Municipal and rural solid waste management is a multi-stage public service that depends on reliable waste data, source segregation, collection coverage, transport logistics, treatment capacity, recycling markets, institutional coordination and citizen participation. This paper develops an Ahilyanagar District-focused assessment framework informed by the integrated solid waste management perspective described by Abarca Guerrero, Maas, and Hogland (2013), but written independently and adapted to the local administrative context. Official district information lists 16 urban local bodies, while the Ahilyanagar Municipal Corporation reports daily waste generation of approximately 140–150 metric tonnes and an approximate present population of 400,000 for the city. Rahata Municipal Council is listed with a 2011 Census population of 22,335 and an area of 22.74 km². These figures provide a limited baseline, not a complete district waste inventory. The paper proposes a mixed-method approach combining official records, ward-level waste audits, household surveys, stakeholder interviews and statistical analysis. It recommends a district data dashboard, four-stream segregation, decentralised processing where feasible, formal integration of waste pickers, and performance monitoring. Since district-wide measured waste quantities and survey results were not available in the sources reviewed, no unsupported district-wide rates or empirical correlations are claimed.