Date of Publication : June

Abstract: Plastic waste management has become a critical urban sustainability challenge in rapidly developing cities such as Chennai, India. Although collection and recycling systems exist, inefficient segregation, contamination of recyclable materials, and limited high-value utilization pathways continue to reduce circularity and resource recovery efficiency. Emerging smart-city technologies and decentralized recycling approaches present opportunities to transform plastic waste management from a disposal-focused system into an integrated circular economy model.
This study presents a conceptual smart circularity framework for plastic waste management in Chennai by combining waste collection analysis, segregation challenges, plastic composition assessment, circularity evaluation, and future-oriented innovation pathways. Major plastic waste streams including Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Polypropylene (PP), Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE), and multilayer plastics were evaluated based on collection efficiency, recyclability, market demand, and environmental impact.
The study further proposes innovative approaches including AI-assisted waste segregation, dynamic waste collection systems, distributed micro-recycling hubs, digital plastic traceability concepts, and waste-to-engineering-material pathways. A Plastic Circularity Index (PCI) is introduced as a simplified framework for prioritizing plastic streams according to their circular economy potential.
The findings indicate that PET and HDPE demonstrate the highest circularity potential due to established recycling value chains and strong market demand, while multilayer plastics remain a major challenge because of low recyclability and contamination issues. The proposed framework highlights how smart technologies, decentralized recycling infrastructure, and engineering valorization pathways could significantly improve urban plastic circularity and resource recovery.
This work provides a future-oriented conceptual framework for municipalities, researchers, industries, and policymakers seeking to accelerate sustainable plastic waste management and circular economy implementation in Chennai and similar urban regions.

Reference :