A Systematic Review of Solid Waste Management in Indian State University and State Private University Campuses

Evidence Synthesis, Governance Gaps, and the Campus Waste Sustainability Governance Readiness Index

Abstract

Solid waste management in Indian university campuses has emerged as a pressing yet systematically understudied domain at the intersection of environmental governance, regulatory compliance, and higher education policy. This review synthesises 68 peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2025 that address campus waste generation, composition, segregation behaviour, and institutional governance at state universities and state private universities across India. Employing a PRISMA-guided methodology, the study maps the empirical evidence across four analytical dimensions: waste generation and characterisation, behavioural and attitudinal drivers of segregation compliance, technology-assisted monitoring and prediction, and regulatory alignment. The review reveals a critical governance deficit: fewer than 14% of Indian HEIs maintain systematic, digitally recorded waste data, and knowledge-to-practice gaps in segregation compliance average 27 to 34 percentage points across surveyed student populations. Greenhouse gas scenario analyses suggest that source-segregation with composting can reduce campus waste-related emissions by 50 to 87% without capital-intensive equipment. As a principal contribution, the review introduces the Campus Waste Sustainability Governance Readiness Index (CWSGRI), a six-dimension diagnostic radar instrument that enables self-assessment and cross-institutional benchmarking without prescribing time-bound implementation schedules.