Comparative assessment of municipal solid waste management and community vulnerability in peri-urban India

Municipal solid waste management is an increasing environmental and public health challenge in rapidly transitioning rural and peri-urban regions of India, where infrastructural expansion and shifting consumption patterns are altering waste profiles and governance capacity. However, limited empirical evidence exists on how socio-economic conditions, service access, and institutional arrangements shape community vulnerability in such transitional settings. This study comparatively assesses MSW management practices and vulnerability in two contrasting villages: Bhatta (Uttar Pradesh), a peri-urban transition settlement lacking formal waste services, and Puthuppally (Kerala), characterized by decentralized community-led waste management. A cross-sectional mixed-methods design integrated Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), household surveys ( n = 437), waste characterization, Spearman correlation analysis, and an IPCC-based vulnerability framework. Bhatta recorded higher median daily waste generation (≈ 2.0 kg/day) than Puthuppally (≈ 1.7 kg/day), with stronger income–waste correlations (ρ = 0.34) and limited institutional mediation. In contrast, Puthuppally exhibited weaker income dependence and stronger service-linked behavioral patterns. Vulnerability assessment showed 63% of Bhatta households in high-vulnerability categories due to high exposure and low adaptive capacity, whereas Puthuppally demonstrated stronger adaptive systems and lower sensitivity. The findings emphasize the importance of decentralized, context-specific MSW management systems in reducing rural waste-related risks and strengthening institutional resilience.