Development of a city-level sustainability and resilience index for municipal solid waste management: Methodological framework and application to Bangkok

Rapid urbanisation, population growth, changing consumption patterns, and climate-related hazards are intensifying challenges for municipal solid waste management (MSWM). While numerous frameworks exist, operate at national scales, or address sustainability and resilience separately, limiting their usefulness for city-level waste management decision-making. This study develops and applies a Sustainability and Resilience Index (SRI) as an integrated, city-level decision-support framework for evaluating performance. The SRI includes 70 indicators covering four aspects—environmental, technical, socioeconomic, and governance—identified through a PRISMA systematic review and refined via expert consultation. Indicator performance is assessed using a five-point Likert scale calibrated against internationally observed minimum and maximum benchmark values, enabling comparability across diverse urban contexts. The index is applied to Bangkok, using a combination of official municipal data, secondary sources, and stakeholder interviews. Results show that Bangkok’s achieves an overall score of 3.41, “Good”. Strong performance is observed in operational reliability, service coverage, and institutional capacity, while lower scores are associated with upstream waste management, resource recovery, land availability, and financial recovery. Scenario-based weighting and uncertainty analyses shows the robustness and highlight environmental indicators as the primary constraint on overall performance. Comparative benchmarking indicates that the SRI provides MSWM-specific insights at the city level that complement broader multi-sectoral indices. The proposed SRI provides a transparent, adaptable, and policy-oriented framework for translating complex multidimensional data into interpretable outputs. It supports policymakers and practitioners in diagnosing weaknesses, prioritising interventions, and strengthening the sustainability and resilience of urban MSWM under growing urban and climate pressures. • SRIs Index, with 70 indicators across four aspects, was developed. • Application to Bangkok city resulted in an overall score of 3.41. • Sensitivity analysis showed equal weighting as the most practical approach. • The Index is user-friendly, adaptable, and applicable for city-level MSWM evaluation globally.