To What Extent Would Operational Restructuring Through Connecting Market Participants Streamline the Informal Recycling Industry in Urban India?

As the economies of developing countries grow, the waste production in these nations also increases proportionally. However, local governments are constrained by both the lack of adequate funds and a lack of skilled human capital, and are thus unable to build necessary waste management infrastructure. The majority of waste produced in these urban centres end up untreated in landfills, proving to be a social and environmental danger. A small portion of this refuse is handled by a vibrant informal recycling industry that is unable to scale given myriad inefficiencies. We propose the implementation of a tech-enabled marketplace platform to consolidate the supply chain by more efficiently connecting the relevant stakeholders. This model has the potential of increasing the volume of waste processed by scrap dealers (kabadiwalas) and increasing their unit margins by taking advantage of economies of scale, cumulatively doubling their income and simultaneously diverting waste away from landfills.