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Where the Effort Disappears: Opacity, Reciprocity, and Household Organic Waste Practice in Hyderabad, India†
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Sohye Park
 , Sara Nuruddin Panjawani
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Received February 4, 2026 Accepted October 12, 2026 Published online October 15, 2026
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.69841/igee.2026.020
[Epub ahead of print]
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 Abstract
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Abstract
Indian waste policy has largely framed the gap between segregation mandates and household practice as a be-havioural problem, to be addressed through messaging and outreach. Where residents already know the rules and still do not follow them, the question becomes under what conditions the practice is sustained. This study ex-amines how urban households in Hyderabad, Telangana, handle organic waste and what judgements about the waste system those practices rest on. Ten household-level semi-structured interviews and in-home observation were conducted, with 35 participants recruited through community networks. Standard composting kits were distributed, followed by a return visit after two and a half months. A contrast observation was conducted in Yavatmal, Maharashtra, where municipal collection is irregular. Data were analysed through reflexive thematic analysis. In Hyderabad, verification of sorted waste stopped at the building gate, where the only visible stage was the watchman consolidating separated bags. Participants explained their departure from official segregation by citing the state's own record, suspending their obligation without denying it. The kits were unused at revisit, yet five of the ten households were diverting peels, eggshells, and used tea to their own plants, one for fifteen years. Set against Yavatmal, where infrequent collection left waste to accumulate and be burned in an open field, the Hyderabad case indicates that where collection infrastructure functions, the obstacle lies in what households can see of it. In the households studied, neither knowledge nor equipment was absent. The findings suggest that intervention should target the visibility of the chain rather than household attitudes, and that performance measurement should record where separation breaks down and whether organic material is diverted at home.
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Summary
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IGEE
