Waste Generation Trends and Their Socio-Economic Implications: A Case Study

The paper highlights the problem of solid waste management at the household level, with special reference to the state of Kerala. It attempts to formulate an empirical model for waste-generation identifying the factors influencing it. It postulates that institutional factors such as affluence, living conditions, religion and culture can account for the household-level waste generation pattern. The paper advocates responsible living through educational campaigns as an effective method to alleviate the problem of waste disposal in urban societies. This has more relevance to the progressive state of Kerala ranking high in human capital standards