Assessment of plastic waste collection, recycling processes and supply chain dynamics in Savar municipality, Bangladesh

Plastic waste management remains a critical environmental and economic challenge in rapidly urbanizing regions. This study investigates the collection, supply chain, and recycling processes of plastic waste in Savar Municipality, Bangladesh, through a mixed-methods approach combining field surveys, structured interviews, and direct observation. The research targeted four key stakeholder groups such as waste pickers (Tokai), primary dealers, secondary dealers, and recycling industry operators. The municipality was mapped across six sub-areas, identifying 57 waste pickers, 28 primary dealers, 17 secondary dealers, and 4 recycling industries. The results demonstrate that the backbone of the plastic waste supply chain are informal waste pickers, who are collecting an average 62kg of plastic daily per picker(3.53tons/day). This data was consolidated indicating that primary and secondary dealers aggregated 2.88tons/day and 2.52tons/day, respectively, behind the value added layers and underlining the key role of intermediary stakeholders in material consolidation. Hard plastics made up most of the wastes collected, which points to areas suitable for targeted and more efficient recycling interventions. From mass balance assessment, recycling industries recycled 2.7tons of plastic with 2.6tons being redirected to manufacturing industry as direct input for new products. The work additionally describes the commercial recycling process—from sorting by colour/drainage type, slicing into mm to gm parts, washing/drying, thermoplastics use creates a uniform pellet or long-term products. Challenges were weather dependent drying and sorting efficiency variability. Taken together, these results highlight the critical role of informal sector involvement in recycling;the potential for technology-driven aggregation and/or process improvement strategies to minimize leakage and improve efficiency;and ultimately, underscore the need for proactive strategies to inform regulation, design waste management systems and advance sustainable plastics management approaches with specific application to secondary cities. The findings offer evidence-based information for policymakers and urban municipal waste management authorities aiming to scale-up circular economy initiatives in emerging urban municipalities.