A Comprehensive Assessment to Harness Artificial Intelligence Technology in the Organic Waste Management of Urban India
Punam Bundele, Marshiana Devaerakkam · Challenges in Sustainability · 2025
India annually produces about 62 million tons of municipal solid waste, comprising 50-60% of organic matter.Accelerating urbanization and population growth in this country have intensified the challenges confronted by managing food, agricultural, and biodegradable waste, as the waste if handled improperly, would lead to groundwater contamination, soil degradation, and methane emission from landfills.This review provided a comprehensive assessment of the organic waste management (OWM) landscape in India, ranging from conventional methods like composting and vermicomposting to advanced approaches such as anaerobic digestion and biogas generation.It also evaluated the influence of policy frameworks and community-led initiatives on promoting sustainable practices.The focus of this study on the emerging role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the OWM highlighted its potential for improving waste segregation, process optimization, and real-time monitoring.While the application of AI in waste management has demonstrated over 90% of segregation accuracy in the pilot and global studies, its adoption remains minimal in India.By systematically comparing national practices with global benchmarks, this review identified critical gaps in technology adoption, scalability, and integration between policy and infrastructure; to fill a noticeable void in the existing literature, AI-driven innovations were adopted to deal with the unique challenge of waste management in India.The findings underscored the need for targeted support, capacity building, and technological deployment to transform organic waste from an environmental liability into a renewable and value-generating resource.Practical recommendations were offered to align technology, governance, and community participation with sustainable and resource-efficient OWM.