Rapid urbanization, economic growth and growing consumerism have resulted in
increased solid waste generation across the globe and especially in South Asia. In this
paper we try to address the issues surrounding the governance of municipal solid waste
management by mapping the governance institutions associated with MSWM and studying
their interactions in order to better understand the governance of MSWM in India. This
study primarily maps the institutional structure of governance of MSWM, unpacks the
mandates of the ministries involved and identifies the conflicts among the stakeholders
involved in MSWM at the national (central government) level, state (Kerala) and local
(Thiruvananthapuram city corporation) level. The study was done by conducting literature
review of academic papers and official government websites and documents. Semistructured
interviews of government officials, practitioners and local representatives of
Thiruvananthapuram Corporation were also conducted. At the central level, it could be
observed that conflicts stem from the differing approaches of various ministries towards
the problem of MSWM and discrepancies in data pertaining to waste. At the state level, we
could identify overlaps between the two of the government’s missions pertaining to MSWM.
A clash between the central government and state government with regard to handling of
MSWM at an urban local body has also been discussed in the paper. It could be observed
that the reason for the clash is the insistence that the state has to follow central government
norms, despite it being less suitable to local needs.