Assessing socio technical and behavioural outcomes across implementation phases of the Nitte Gram panchayat material recovery facility

Rural areas in India continue to face challenges in solid waste management, particularly in regular waste collection, household-level segregation and community participation. This study examines the socio-technical and behavioural sustainability of the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) model implemented in Nitte Gram Panchayat, Karnataka. The study uses a mixed-method case-study approach with phase-based comparisons to assess changes in household waste segregation, collection coverage, user-fee compliance, behavioural practices and social and economic outcomes associated with the MRF model. Quantitative data were collected through a structured survey of 73 households, while qualitative information was obtained through 12 semi-structured interviews, four focus group discussions and 20 non-participant observations. The findings indicate improvements across three implementation phases: before MRF establishment (July 2021), during MRF setup (August 2021–March 2022), and after MRF implementation (April 2022–2025). Household waste segregation increased from 18% before MRF establishment (July 2021), to 45% during the MRF setup period (August 2021–March 2022), and to 81% after MRF implementation (April 2022–2025). These phase-based differences indicate an observed increase in compliance across the implementation stages. However, they should not be interpreted as definitive evidence of a causal intervention effect. Collection coverage increased from 52% before MRF establishment to 98% after MRF implementation, while user-fee compliance increased from 28 to 84% over the corresponding assessment periods. These findings represent observed differences across implementation phases and should not be interpreted as definitive causal intervention effects. Education was positively associated with segregation and fee compliance, while participation in awareness activities was associated with improved waste-management practices. The study also found increased employment associated with the formalization of the MRF and greater participation of women through self-help groups. Overall, the findings suggest that community participation, institutional support and reliable waste collection services are important factors associated with the functioning and sustainability of decentralized waste-management systems in rural settings.