Tehran Urban Research & Planning Center: Tehran Municipality International Journal of Human Capital in Urban Management 2476-4698 11 3 2026 07 01 Challenges in residential biomedical waste disposal and urban governance for sustainable public health management 509 532 736144 10.22034/IJHCUM.2026.03.05 EN K. NITHIANANTHAN Department of Government and Public Administration, School of Liberal and Creative Arts, Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar 144411, Punjab, India 0009-0003-7436-9775 S. MANVENDRA Department of Government and Public Administration, School of Liberal and Creative Arts, Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar 144411, Punjab, India 0000-0002-0473-2853 Journal Article 2025 07 06 <strong>BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:</strong> This study investigates the disposal practices of residential <span lang="EN-IN">Bio-Medical Waste</span> and the challenges faced by urban local bodies in managing such waste in Himachal Pradesh, India. With a notable rise in home-based healthcare, especially post-COVID-19, households are generating increasing amounts of waste from activities such as self-medication, chronic illness management, and the use of disposable medical items and personal protective equipment. Despite this trend, most households mix Bio-Medical Waste with general municipal waste due to limited awareness, the absence of segregation systems, and a lack of designated disposal facilities. This poses significant risks to public health, particularly for waste workers and the broader community, and strains municipal waste management infrastructure. Urban authorities, constrained by inadequate policies, insufficient infrastructure, and limited financial and technical capacity, struggle to address this emerging challenge. <br><strong>METHODS: </strong>The study utilized a mixed-methods approach, including household surveys, field observations, and stakeholder interviews across Himachal Pradesh state and the urban local bodies of various districts. In this study, the regression analysis and factor analysis tools are used to achieve the research objectives<br><strong>FINDINGS: </strong>The results revealed that an urgent need for clear policy frameworks, as <span lang="EN-IN">72% of ULBs lacked specific guidelines for residential </span><span lang="EN-IN">Bio-Medical Waste,</span><span lang="EN-IN"> and no penalties for improper disposal in 85 </span>percent<span lang="EN-IN"> of cases. </span>Public education, dedicated <span lang="EN-IN">Bio-Medical Waste</span> collection systems<span lang="EN-IN">, staggering 68 </span>percent<span lang="EN-IN"> of surveyed households admitted to mixing </span><span lang="EN-IN">Bio-Medical Waste</span><span lang="EN-IN"> with general garbage due to a lack of awareness (42%), absence of dedicated bins (35%), convenience (23%), households found it easier to dispose of </span><span lang="EN-IN">Bio-Medical Waste</span><span lang="EN-IN"> with regular trash </span>and health risks to workers engaged in municipal solid waste management in urban areas, <span lang="EN-IN">89% of workers are encountered to </span><span lang="EN-IN">Bio-Medical Waste</span><span lang="EN-IN"> daily, with 62% reporting injuries (needle-sticks, infections), in 28% of cases, no formal training or </span><span lang="EN-IN">personal protective equipment</span><span lang="EN-IN"> was provided, and only 10% of workers are aware of the hazards of </span><span lang="EN-IN">Bio-Medical Waste</span><span lang="EN-IN">.</span> <br><strong>CONCLUSION: </strong>The research provides valuable insights for policymakers and urban managers to design more resilient and inclusive <span lang="EN-IN">Bio-Medical Waste</span> management strategies for sustainable urban health governance. https://www.ijhcum.net/article_736144_00e25fdb97b4e84f01beabd5850c4a49.pdf