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.