Co-Creating Solutions: Enablers and Barriers to Participatory Solid Waste Governance in Small Towns of the Global South

Solid waste governance in India has traditionally relied on linear, centralised capital-intensive systems such as landfills and incineration. These approaches have led to severe environmental degradation, public health crises, and the marginalisation of informal waste sectors. Despite democratic decentralisation efforts, the persistence of top-down governance has stifled local governments' ability to address these challenges effectively. Furthermore, unlike large cities, smaller towns face significant technical, financial, and institutional capacity constraints in developing context-specific solid waste management solutions.

The situation in South Indian state of Kerala mirrored this trajectory until widespread protests and legal interventions in the early 2010s prompted a shift towards decentralised solid waste governance. In response to these systemic failures, Alappuzha municipality in Kerala pioneered a participatory, decentralised waste management model. Supported by wide-ranging citizen engagement, expert collaboration, and political leadership, this initiative improved waste management practices and inspired the state’s 2018 Solid Waste Management Policy. However, as the model was scaled up across cities, the focus shifted from the process to the outcomes, reducing success to a few indicators, such as elimination of waste dumping spots and implementation of household-level on-site treatment systems. This shift overlooked participatory processes and highlighted the persistent institutional capacity deficits and socio-political complexities, mandating the need for sustainable participatory governance frameworks.

To address these challenges, CANALPY was launched in 2017. This transdisciplinary initiative, jointly undertaken by the Centre for Policy Studies, IIT Bombay, and the Kerala Institute of Local Administration, focuses on capacity building, knowledge co-production and community-led solutions. By integrating local knowledge with academic knowledge, CANALPY created ‘deliberative platforms’ for dialogue and collaboration, addressing issues of sanitation, water pollution, and solid waste management. Being closely associated with CANALPY since its formation, the authors trace the evolution of participatory solid waste governance in Alappuzha, analysing the drivers, enabling conditions, and challenges associated with co-creation. It highlights how CANALPY has facilitated knowledge sharing, bridged capacities, and informed policy-making. At the same time, it critically examines socio-political and institutional barriers while scaling up.

It was found that while knowledge co-production facilitates dialogue and collaboration, consensus building is crucial to translate knowledge into actionable outcomes. Without consensus, deliberative processes risk becoming prolonged exercises without tangible results, a notable critique of existing participatory research. Additionally, the study highlights the unsustainability of voluntarism in the long term. Participation often depends on individuals with intrinsic motivation or altruistic tendencies, leading to disengagement as such efforts fail to be institutionalised. Socio-political dynamics, including power imbalances and inequities, further restricts inclusive participation. To address these barriers, the importance of aligning incentives with participants' motivations is emphasised. Context-specific incentives, such as social recognition, skill-building opportunities proved effective in sustaining long-term engagement. Institutionally, the need for adaptive frameworks that bridge gaps between local governance structures, community aspirations, and academic collaborations was evident. The work demonstrates that academia can serve as a transformative platform for participatory governance by addressing these socio-political and institutional challenges. It offers a replicable framework for advancing transdisciplinary approaches to solid waste governance in small towns in Global South.