Recyclable Material Flow and Market Dynamics in Secondary Transfer Stations in Dhaka, Bangladesh

This study investigates the flow and economic valuation of recyclable materials across fifteen Secondary Transfer Stations (STSs) in Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), Bangladesh, with the aim of understanding how market dynamics influence material recovery and circular economy potential. Primary data were collected through field surveys, structured questionnaires administered to 50 waste workers, five waste dealers and five local traders. Recovered materials were classified into six major categories, paper, plastic, metal, glass, electronic waste (e-waste), and other materials with further sub-categorization, to capture price variations and material characteristics. The results reveal a highly differentiated recycling market, with prices varying by more than an order of magnitude across materials. High-value materials, including copper wire, scrap aluminum, scrap metal, and electrical wire, are consistently recovered, whereas medium-value materials such as HDPE, PET, polypropylene, PVC, LDPE, Styrofoam, plastic crates, and mixed plastics are recovered selectively depending on market demand. In contrast, low-value materials, including packaging cartons, white paper, glass items, mixed LDPE, damaged LED lights, and mixed wastepaper, are frequently discarded due to weak economic incentives. Despite spatial and socioeconomic differences across STSs, price variability remains relatively low, indicating an integrated city-wide recycling market driven by active trader networks and broader commodity trends. To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the first studies to integrate recyclable material flow with economic valuation across multiple STSs in Dhaka. The findings highlight that recovery efficiency is strongly governed by economic value and informal practices, with limited segregation efficiency and inadequate occupational safety conditions. Enhancing source segregation, improving storage infrastructure, and introducing targeted market and policy interventions for low-value materials are critical for advancing Dhaka’s transition toward a circular and resource-efficient urban waste management system.