Systems Engineering Analysis of Municipal Solid Waste Collection, Segregation, and Processing Infrastructure in a Small Himalayan Town: A case study of Bilaspur Municipal Corporation, India

Abstract

Designing an efficient solid waste management (SWM) system in small hill towns requires a proper technical evaluation due to terrain-related constraints and limited infrastructure capacity. This paper, based on the study carried out in the Bilaspur Municipal Corporation (BMC), Himachal Pradesh, develops a systems engineering framework integrating material flow analysis, collection efficiency assessment, infrastructure gap evaluation, and terrain-based analysis. The framework was applied to BMC, comprising 3,226 households and a projected 2024 population of approximately 15,500, with elevations ranging from 650 to 1,100 m and slope gradients between 5 and 25 per cent. A structured household survey covered 220 respondents across eleven wards (20 households per ward). Using a per capita waste generation rate of 0.413 kg/day, total municipal waste generation was estimated at 6.4 TPD, of which organic waste accounted for over 65 per cent (≈4.2 TPD) and recyclables approximately 1.5 TPD. Source Segregation Efficiency (98.6 per cent) significantly exceeded the national urban average (30–40 per cent), reducing potential manual sorting requirements by 60–70 per cent. Collection Coverage Rate was 82.7 per cent, while the System Leakage Rate was 17.3 per cent (≈1.1 TPD), mainly in the wards with slopes >20% and road widths <3 m. The Infrastructure Adequacy Index was critically low (0.04). As reported by the respondents, disposal sites exhibited leachate (100 per cent), vector presence (99.5 per cent), odour (99.1 per cent), and fire incidents (88.2 per cent). The 1.0–1.5 TPD vertical baling-to-co-processing model, achieving 70–75 per cent volume reduction, further shows viable downstream integration. Suggested interventions include a 4.2 TPD windrow composting facility (1,500–2,000 m²; 45–60 days retention), a 1.5 TPD manual MRF (200–300 m²), a 0.7 TPD engineered landfill (0.5 ha; 10-year life), 3–4 micro-transfer stations, optimized fleet deployment, RFID/GPS integration, and a 25–50 kg/day pharmaceutical incineration linkage.