India has a giant waste management problem and to combat this mandamus could be the way forward.

What Is Waste Management?

• Waste management refers to the entire set of activities and strategies involved in the collection, segregation, transportation, treatment, recycling, and final disposal of waste produced by human activity. 
• It also includes measures to reduce waste generation and reuse materials to promote sustainability.

• Key Objectives
• • Minimize environmental and health hazards caused by improper waste handling.
  • Maximize resource recovery through recycling and reuse.
  • Promote sustainable development through a circular economy model.
  • Comply with legal and regulatory frameworks for safe disposal.

Types of Waste Covered

• Solid Waste: Common everyday discarded materials.
  • Examples: Packaging, paper, plastic, textiles, household garbage.
  • Sub-types:
    • Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) – generated from homes and public spaces.
    • Industrial Solid Waste – from factories and manufacturing units.
    • Construction & Demolition Waste – bricks, concrete, wood debris.
• Liquid Waste: Waste in liquid form from domestic, commercial, or industrial sources.
  • Examples: Sewage, greywater, industrial effluents, chemicals, oils.
• Organic Waste (Biodegradable): Waste that decomposes naturally by microbial action.
  • Examples: Food scraps, garden clippings, paper, agricultural residue
• Hazardous Waste: Waste that poses substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment.
  • Examples: Batteries, paints, pesticides, e-waste, biomedical waste.
  • Characteristic Properties: Toxic, corrosive, flammable, reactive.
• Recyclable Waste: Waste that can be reprocessed into usable materials.
  • Examples: Plastic, paper, glass, metals, cardboard.
• Biomedical Waste (Health-Care Waste): Waste generated from hospitals, clinics, diagnostic labs.
  • Examples: Syringes, infected dressings, body parts, expired medicines.
• E-Waste (Electronic Waste): Discarded electrical or electronic devices. Contains hazardous metals like mercury, lead, cadmium.
  • Examples: Computers, mobile phones, TVs, printers, cables.

Why Waste Management is Important?

• Prevents Environmental Degradation: Waste mismanagement leads to land, air, and water pollution, causing long-term ecological damage.
  • India emits 9.3 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, with 3.5 million tonnes leaking into the environment – polluting rivers, soil, and coasts (Nature study, 2024).
• Reduces Health Hazards: Unscientific waste disposal directly endangers human health, especially in urban slums and near landfills.
  • Open burning releases dioxins and methane, leading to respiratory illnesses and cancer.
• Mitigates Plastic Pollution Crisis: Plastic waste persists in the environment for centuries, fragmenting into microplastics and entering food chains.
  • Microplastics found in 83% of Indian tap water samples and even in Himalayan glaciers, entering our food and water.
• Ensures Compliance with Legal Frameworks: Waste laws mandate sustainable practices, and poor compliance leads to penalties, public health crises, and judicial scrutiny.
  • Under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, segregation is mandatory, but only 19% of dumpsites have been remediated.
• Supports Economic Growth: Recyclables and energy can generate value, while untreated waste burdens municipal finances and land.
  • India could lose $133 billion in unrecovered plastic value by 2030 if recycling and segregation aren’t improved (FICCI report).
• Promotes Sustainable Tourism: Tourist waste in ecologically sensitive zones affects local livelihoods and damages pristine environments.
  • Himalayan states generate ~8 million tonnes/year of tourist waste, with QR-code systems in Uttarakhand reducing Char Dham litter.
• Strengthens Climate Action: Waste burning and plastic life-cycle emissions contribute significantly to global greenhouse gases.
  • Plastic manufacturing emits 1.8 billion tonnes of GHG/year – more than global aviation (OECD data).

Current Status of Waste Management in India

• Waste Generation: Scale and Trends
  • Total waste generated annually: India produces 62 million tonnes of waste per year, of which only 70% is collected. 
    • Of the collected waste, just 12 million tonnes are treated, and 31 million tonnes are landfilled​.
  • Solid Waste: Urban India generates 1.5 lakh tonnes/day, with 77% dumped in landfills unscientifically.
  • The total municipal solid waste (MSW) generation is expected to increase to 165 million tonnes by 2030, driven by rapid urbanization and rising consumption​.
  • Indian Plastic Pollution: India is the world’s largest plastic polluter, generating 9.3 million tonnes annually (20% of global plastic emissions).
  • Urban India is the major contributor, with cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore being top producers. 
    • Rural areas are also increasingly contributing due to improper disposal practices​.
  • Per capita waste generation is approximately 0.54 kg per day and projected to rise​.
• Waste Collection and Treatment
  • Collection efficiency: Out of 62 million tonnes generated, only 43 million tonnes are collected.
  • Waste processing: As of FY 2023, over 75% of the waste was processed, yet only 30% is effectively recycled. 
    • The rest is either incinerated or dumped into landfills​.
  • Only 60% of plastic waste is recycled, mostly by the informal sector.
  • Legacy Waste: Over 3,000 dumpsites exist, with only 19% remediated under Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0.
  • Landfilling remains prevalent, despite its known hazards. India hosts some of the world’s largest landfills (e.g., Mumbai, Delhi)​.

Waste Management Methods in India

• Segregation at Source: Separating waste into wet (biodegradable), dry (recyclable), and hazardous categories at households/commercial sites
  • Bengaluru’s SWM Cess: Charges households ₹100/month to fund segregated collection .
  • Sikkim: Bans packaged water and enforces strict segregation laws.
• Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs): Centers to sort, process, and recycle dry waste (plastics, paper, metal).
  • EPR Rules 2022 mandate MRFs for urban/rural local bodies.
  • Tamil Nadu: Reclaimed 42% of landfill land via MRFs (Swachh Bharat Mission data).
• Composting (Biodegradable Waste): Converting organic waste into manure via aerobic/anaerobic methods.
  • 55–60% of India’s municipal waste is wet waste (State of India’s Environment 2023).
  • Decentralized MCCs: Kerala/Tamil Nadu use Micro Composting Centers to cut transport costs.
• Scientific Landfills: Engineered sites with liners and leachate treatment to replace open dumps.
  • India’s dumpsites outnumber landfills 10:1 (Nature study, 2024).
  • Delhi’s Ghazipur landfill: Height exceeds 65m, causing methane fires (SC notes, 2025).
• Waste-to-Energy (WtE): Incinerating waste to generate electricity.
  • Delhi’s 11,000 MT/day waste: Only 8,073 MT processed by WtE plants.
• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): Brands must collect/recycle their plastic packaging.
  • QR Codes in Uttarakhand: Pilgrims pay deposits on bottles, refunded upon return.
• Bioremediation (Legacy Waste): Using bacteria/plants to detoxify old dump sites.
  • 16 crore tonnes of legacy waste occupy landfills.
  • Ideonella sakaiensis: Bacteria that breaks down PET plastic in months.
• Informal Sector Integration: Formalizing waste pickers for efficient recycling.
• • Informal sector handles 60% of recycling.
  • Kerala’s Kudumbashree: Women’s groups manage waste collection.

Institutional Arrangement for waste Management in India

• In India, waste management is governed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD), State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and the ULBs (12th Schedule of the Constitution).
• Responsibility of Local Bodies: Under the 74th Constitutional Amendment, Disposal and management of Municipal Solid Waste is one of the 18 functional domains of the Municipal Corporations and Nagar Panchayats. 
• Fundamental Duty: Article 51 A (g) of the Indian Constitution that deals with fundamental duties states that every citizen of India should protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife, and to have compassion for living creatures.
• Solid Waste Management (SWM) is a state subject and it is the responsibility of the state government to ensure appropriate solid waste management practices.

Initiatives Related to Waste Management in India

• Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016
  • India’s most comprehensive waste regulation framework under the Environment Protection Act.
  • Mandates segregation at source into biodegradable, non-biodegradable, and domestic hazardous waste.
  • Applicable to all stakeholders: households, institutions, industrial areas, airports, and SEZs.
  • Obligates ULBs to ensure door-to-door collection, user fees, and scientific disposal.
  • Emphasizes Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for bulk generators and brands.
• Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM-U & SBM-R)
  • Launched in 2014 to promote cleanliness, sanitation, and solid waste management.
  • Focus on 100% door-to-door collection, 100% source segregation, and elimination of open dumping.
  • Swachh Survekshan annually ranks cities on waste handling and cleanliness.
  • SBM 2.0 (2021–26) targets bioremediation of legacy waste dumpsites in 4,400+ ULBs.
  • QR-based digital tracking of waste (e.g., Indore, Trichy) adopted under SBM Smart Cities initiatives.
• Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) Action Plan (2016)
  • Categorizes cities into Large (>500 TPD), Medium (100–500 TPD), and Small (<100 TPD) for appropriate waste processing models. (Tonnes Per Day)
  • Recommends:
    • Composting for organic waste
    • Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) for recyclables
    • Waste-to-Energy (WTE) for high-calorific fractions
  • Suggests phasing out open dumping through DPR-based planning and technology integration.
• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Framework
  • Rules apply to:
    • Plastic Waste (Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016; updated in 2022)
    • E-Waste (E-Waste Rules, 2022)
    • Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022
  • Producers/importers/brand owners (PIBOs) must ensure collection, recycling, and reporting through centralized portals.
• Waste-to-Energy (WtE) and Bio-Methanation Initiatives
  • Government encourages WtE plants in large cities (>500 TPD), though performance depends on quality segregation.
  • Bio-methanation plants are operational in cities like Pune, Surat, and Indore for wet waste conversion to biogas.
  • RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel) policy promoted cement and power plants.
• Informal Sector Integration & Worker Welfare
  • Models like:
    • SWaCH (Pune) – waste picker co-operatives
    • Hasiru Dala (Bengaluru) – urban informal worker integration
  • Policies mandate safety gear, training, and income security for informal sector.
  • Project REPLAN: It aims to make carry bags by mixing processed and treated plastic waste with cotton fibre rags in the ratio 20:80.
• Smart Cities & Digital Tools
  • Smart Cities Mission promotes:
    • GPS-enabled garbage trucks
    • QR-coded bins (e.g., Char Dham routes)
    • Dashboard monitoring of collection and processing
  • Waste audit tools and ESG dashboards being adopted by private entities and ULBs.
• Zero Waste Cities & Composting Campaigns
• • Zero Waste Policy: Encourages <10% landfill use via 100% segregation, composting, and recycling.
  • Compost Banao Campaigns: Promotes home and community-level composting.
  • Community MRFs piloted in Kerala, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra.

Challenges for Waste Management in India

• Inadequate Waste Processing Infrastructure: India lacks sufficient facilities for composting, biomethanation, recycling, and waste-to-energy processing.
  • As per the MSW Annual Report 2021–22, out of 1,70,339 TPD of waste generated, 91,511 TPD is processed, and the rest is either dumped or burned.
• Low Segregation at Source: Without segregation into wet, dry, and hazardous waste, processing becomes inefficient and dangerous.
  • WtE plants in Delhi underperform because unsegregated waste clogs processing and increases pollution.
• Legacy Waste Dumps and Landfill Overflows: India has thousands of old dumpsites leaking toxins, occupying valuable urban land.
  • As per Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0, out of the 2,424 dumpsites having more than 1,000 tonnes of legacy waste identified across the country, remediation has been completed in only 470.
• Lack of Integration of Informal Sector: The informal sector plays a key role in waste recovery but remains unrecognized and unsupported.
  • 1.5 million+ informal workers in India handle waste without training, safety, or legal protection.
• Financial and Administrative Constraints: ULBs lack the technical expertise, staff, and funds for comprehensive waste systems.
  • Waste management gets only 5–25% of municipal budgets, most of which is spent on collection rather than processing.
• Policy Implementation Gaps: Although India has progressive rules (SWM Rules, 2016), compliance is weak at the local level.
  • The Supreme Court in 2025 pulled up NCR states for failing to follow basic SWM mandates like segregation and waste tracking.
• Public Awareness and Behavioral Issues: Citizens often resist segregation, fee payment, and decentralized composting.
  • Composting and wet waste recycling fail due to apathy and lack of incentives in residential areas.

Way Forward for Waste Management in India

• Strengthen Source Segregation through Behaviour Change: Launch sustained IEC (Information, Education & Communication) campaigns to promote three-bin segregation at source.
  • Incentivize citizens and RWAs through user fee discounts, compost credits, or public recognition.
• Integrate Informal Waste Workers into Formal Systems: Empowering waste pickers ensures social justice and enhances recycling efficiency.
  • Scale up models like SWaCH (Pune) and Hasiru Dala (Bengaluru) nationwide.
• Expand and Upgrade Processing Infrastructure: Ensure timely construction and operation of composting, biomethanation, WtE plants, and MRFs as per city size.
  • Prioritize cluster-based processing for small towns (CPCB Action Plan).
• Accelerate Bioremediation of Legacy Dumpsites: Fast-track biomining and landfill capping with central funds and technology partners.
  • Use geospatial mapping to monitor progress via SBM 2.0 dashboards.
• Promote Decentralized and Zero-Waste Models: Encourage community composting, rooftop biomethanation, and dry waste centres at ward level.
  • Implement Zero Waste Ward programs like those in Indore and Ambikapur.
• Enforce EPR and Track Producer Accountability: Producers must close the loop on plastics, batteries, and e-waste.
  • Implement EPR portals and conduct random audits of brand owners and recyclers.
• Use Digital Tools for Monitoring and Transparency: Data-driven governance improves efficiency and reduces leakages.
  • Deploy QR-coded bins, GPS-tracked trucks, and real-time ULB dashboards.

Conclusion

Effective waste management in India requires urgent action to address infrastructure gaps, integrate informal workers, and enforce policies like EPR and SWM Rules. By promoting source segregation, decentralized processing, and digital monitoring, India can transition to a sustainable, zero-waste model, mitigating environmental and health crises.

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