Planning for sustainable solid waste management in urban India

Planning for sustainable urban solid waste management (USWM) in developing countries has to address several interdependent issues such as public health, environment, present and future costs to society and the livelihood of the "actors" in the informal recycling sector. This article presents a system dynamics model which captures the dynamic nature of interactions among the various components of the USWM system in a typical metropolitan city in India. The model provides a platform for debate on the potential and systemic consequences of various structural and policy alternatives for sustainable USWM. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.