Evaluation of compositional characteristics of organic waste shares in municipal solid waste in fast-growing metropolitan cities of India

India currently has the second largest urban population worldwide, while facing an increasing burden on its urban solid waste infrastructure. To develop sustainable approaches for solid waste management in Indian cities, detailed information on urban and suburban waste characteristics are fundamental. A comprehensive municipal solid waste (MSW) analysis for the city of Bangalore showed that organic waste (OFMSW) shares in urban household waste amount 59.0, 63.3 and 59.2% in low-density, medium-density and high-density population areas, respectively. Urban litter spot (LS) and street sweeping waste had comparatively lower OFMSW shares of 57.1 and 51.9%. In suburban LS, OFMSW shares were the lowest with 47.5%. With a confidence interval of 95%, the statistical analysis revealed that urban household and LS waste have the same source of generation. Screening sizes of 20, 60 and 80mm were found to be adequate for the urban MSW. The chemical analysis showed that all investigated waste streams do not comply with the Indian heavy metal standards for compost, with the highest pollution level post-rotting found in suburban OFMSW with Cr exceeding the Indian standards by 100%, Cu by 395% and Pb by 26%.