Waste Systems Engineering

Dr. VR Sankar Cheela specializes in waste systems engineering, focusing on data-driven, cost-effective, and scalable solutions that integrate waste characterization, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Costing (LCC), and resource recovery technologies. He co-holds a design patent for a solid waste sieving machine and is developing a desktop/mobile application for waste characterization, economic evaluation, and management planning. His research addresses waste management challenges in coastal areas, hilly regions, and smart cities, with a focus on value engineering, decentralized waste processing, and sustainable solutions for organic waste and plastic pollution. 

Works with City Councils

• Pune Municipal Corporation (Integrated Waste System Design, 2022-2025)

• New Town Kolkata Development Authority (Waste Characterization, 2024 -2025)

• Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (PhD Work, 2016 – 2021)

• Guwahathi Municipal Corporation (Research Assistant, 2017)

Journal Articles

• Kasa, V. P., Brahmandam, A. K. S. V., Samal, B., Cheela, V. R. S., Dubey, B. K., & Pathak, K. (2025). Assessment of coastal litter trends in tourist vs. non-tourist beaches: A case study from Indian coastal smart city. Science of The Total Environment, 959, 178339.

• Rai, S., Gurung, G., Sharma, HB., Ranjan, VP., Cheela, VRS. Sustainable solid waste management challenges in hill cities of developing Countries: Insights from eastern Himalayan smart cities of Sikkim, India. Waste Management Bulletin. 2024, 2, 1-18

• Kasa, V. P., Mondal, A., Cheela, V.R.S., Dubey, B. Occurrences, impacts and characterization of microplastics in terrestrial ecosystem to aid policy. Current opinions in Environmental science and Health. 2022, 27: 100361.

• Sharma, H.B., Vanapalli, K.R., Samal., Cheela, V.R.S., Bhattacharya, J., Dubey, B. Circular economy approach in solid waste management system to achieve UN-SDGs: Solutions for post-COVID recovery. Science of Total Environment. 2022, 800:149605.                                 

• Cheela, V. R. S., Ranjan, V. P., Sudha, G, John, M., and Dubey, B. “Pathways to sustainable waste management in Smart Cities in India”. Journal of Urban Management. 2021, 10: 419-429.

• Cheela, V. R. S., Sudha, G, John, M., and Dubey, B. “Characterization of municipal solid waste based on seasonal variations, source and socio-economic aspects”. Waste Disposal and Sustainable Energy. 2021, 3: 275-288.

• Cheela, V. R. S., John, M., and Dubey, B. “Quantitative determination of energy potential of refuse derived fuel from the waste recovered from Indian landfill”. Sustainable Environment Research. 2021, 31, 24.

• Awasthi, Abhishek; Cheela, V.R.S; D’Adamo, Idiano; et al.,  Zero waste approach towards a sustainable waste management” Resources, Environment and Sustainability. 2021, 3: 100014.

• Sharma, H. B., Vanapalli, K., Cheela, V.R.S., Ranjan, V. P., Jaglan, A., Dubey, D., Goel, S., Bhattacharya, J. Challenges, opportunities and innovations for effective solid waste management during post COVID-19 pandemic. Resource, Conservation and Recycling. 2020, 162: 105052.

App Development

Developing a desktop/mobile app to streamline strategic report creation with waste characterization, sustainability assessment, economic estimation, and base drawings, enabling data-driven integrated waste management solutions.