Household waste in a highly populated city is a big threat to the community, which hampers the environment and public healthPublic health. Community participation in managing household waste in a country like Bangladesh is an active research field. It needs a lot of attention to find a functional solution to waste management. In this respect, Cumilla City Corporation was selected to explore the gaps and challenges and to get a real picture of the residents. Finally, find a solution to it. Ward 12 and ward 20 were selected for a questionnaire survey, which focused on group discussions and key informant interviewsKey informant interviews for quantitative and qualitative analysisQualitative analysis. Ward 12 is a core area with a population of 14,636 people and ward 20 is a rural area with a population of 6834 people. Ward 12 recieves waste management services from the city corporation, while ward 20 has not yet obtained such services. A total of 95 questionnaireSurveys and sampling surveysQuestionnaire surveys were carried out. It has been found that people’s food, plant and animal-based waste, and plastic (polyethylene) are the main components of household waste. Waste is mainly managed by the females. Though people are more or less aware of the negative impact of improper waste management, real-life practices are absent, as observed by scattered dumping and bad odorsOdor complaints from the drains and public bins. Forty-six percent of households use plastic (polythene) bags for waste disposal. People think that chain management networks, income-generation activities, involvement of educational, governmental, and business institutions, awareness campaigns, and bridging the gaps between the community and the city corporation are needed for community-led household waste managementHousehold waste management.