“Waste Management in Bangladesh: Current Practices, Challenges and Policy Directions.”

Urban waste management in Bangladesh faces severe challenges, including inadequate household segregation, infrastructure gaps, underfunding, and weak policy enforcement. This study employed a qualitative approach complemented by descriptive quantitative data, incorporating field observations, household surveys, and semi-structured interviews with municipal officials, waste collectors, and informal sector workers. Findings reveal that 82% of households dispose of mixed waste, decentralized composting facilities are absent, over 70% of collection vehicles are outdated, and informal waste pickers recover 15–20% of recyclables under unsafe conditions. Financial allocation for waste management is less than 1% of municipal budgets, reflecting low prioritization. Based on these findings, the study recommends enhancing awareness campaigns, providing incentives, upgrading infrastructure, integrating the informal sector, strengthening policy enforcement, increasing financial commitment, and promoting community engagement to develop an effective, sustainable, and inclusive urban waste management system.