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Solid Waste Management

Waste management is one of the most enigmatic developmental challenges in India. Poor rationality around waste disposal has left many localities and landmasses, peri-urban spaces and water bodies polluted. According to the Swachhata Sandesh Newsletter (MoHUA), Delhi alone produces over 10,000 MT of solid waste per day, of which nearly 8000 MT is transported to landfill sites. Additionally, previous reports by MoEFCC and ICRIER showcased that out of the total waste generated, only 75-80% gets collected, and only 22-28% is processed. Increasing urbanization and population growth levels have only worsened the situation as per capita waste generation in India has increased from 0.26 kg/day to 0.85 kg/day (Kumar and Agrawal, 2020; CPCB India, 2018a). However, the Swachh Bharat Mission (SWM), initiated in 2014, aims to improve solid waste management techniques using modern technologies and augmenting the capacity building of ULBS. For instance, cities have set up crowdsourcing techniques and other technologically advanced solutions with NGOs, communities, and private organizations. 

 

For instance: Indore - installed a bio-methanation plant that converts waste from the largest vegetable and fruit mandi to bio-CNG, which is used as fuel to run public transport buses. Bio-CNG is an economical and eco-friendly alternative to fuel and solves the twin motive of reducing the carbon footprint and generating wealth from waste. Bhopal installed smart sensors in bins. The GPS-enabled sensors send out signals to officials in the control room, who then send out municipal trucks to the location. Once the “smart bins” are emptied, the sanitation workers update the officials in the control room. Similarly, Chase App, conceptualized in a small town in Maharashtra- Mouda, effectively and efficiently monitors workers by giving out their real-time location, making waste collection smooth, swift, and transparent. 

 

In Panaji, user charges have been linked to household and commercial waste collection. Each household or business entity is charged a sanitary fee further linked to the property tax filed by the residents. The Panaji Corporation has also established 6 Organic Waste Convertors (OWC) and 70 recycling units to manage wet and dry waste, respectively. (Kumar and Agrawal, 2020; Agarwal et al., 2015). Rajkot has installed Biomethanation plants in partnership with BARC to convert wet waste into compost. The city has also set up “Reverse Vending Machines," which issue discount coupons once the used bottles have been deposited. Similarly, in collaboration with Mango Foundation- a local NGO- Lucknow is transforming floral waste into incense sticks, aiming to empower women of the community involved in the initiative. Policies like SWM and Smart Cities Mission focus on institutionalizing the modern SWM practices using technological innovations, improving the waste-related physical and social infrastructure and cleaning the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, municipalities are achieving limited success due to today's urban sprawl and the sociality attached to waste. Hence, decentralizing waste processing using technological solutions, citizens' sensitization, and proper qualitative and quantitative assessment of waste is the need of the hour.

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Solid Waste Management Practices in Urban India
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