Decentralized Waste Management: Using Smart Contracts and Blockchain for Transparent Plastic Collection and Recycling in Urban Slums

Abstract

In urban slums, plastic waste management is also among the most urgent issues of sustainable urban development due to insufficient infrastructure, transparency, and accountability frameworks, which tend to cause poor collection and open dumping. The traditional centralized systems of waste management do not encourage active involvement of communities and waste collectors and lead to leakage of plastics into the environment. In this paper, I introduce a decentralized system relying on blockchain technology and smart contracts to provide transparent responsible, and tamper-free systems of plastic waste collection and recycling in slums. The framework proposes the tokenized incentives of households and waste collectors, and recycle units are directly connected to the blockchain ledger of verifiable transactions. The automation of payments and the adherence to the quotas of collections and the use of waste flow records that cannot be altered reduce the chances of fraud or data manipulation. Conceptual model and case study analysis illustrates how the principle of decentralized architecture will enhance the traceability throughout the plastic waste value chain, the development levels of community and the promotion of practices of the circular economy. The findings show that blockchain-based interventions can decrease inefficiencies in informal waste management networks, empower marginalised communities through financial inclusion and add to global sustainable development goals (SDGs) in waste reduction, responsible consumption, and urban resilience.