What's happening around in this BIG country regarding Municipal Solid Waste?

     

   Indian cities generate about 1-lakh megatons (1*10^12 tonnes) of solid waste (SW) alone per day [Mumbai—7000 MT and Bangalore—5000 MT to give some comparison]. What's being done with them? Well, in cities like New Delhi, they are mostly burnt which adds to their already problematic geographical presence that doesn't facilitate easy gas escape. And burning of stubble by Punjab farmers (read why they do that in Blame-Game in different issues) is held as the sole responsibility for the menace. How cool is that? Coming onto facts, collecting municipal solid waste (MSW) is the responsibility of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) as per law [MSW 2000], including categorizing it into organic, hazardous, domestic, and recyclable wastes. But before that, it has to be segregated into degradable and non-biodegradable masses which is mostly not done, thanks not only to the ULBs for not insisting that but also to negligent citizens for not taking up the minimum effort of keeping two separate bins at home. Sorting is usually done by unorganized sectors at a far lower efficiency. After collecting wastes, ULBs transport them to transfer stations in open and then to dumps in open. Such dumps, which were once out of city limits, are now, in many cases, in the mid of residential areas due to city expansion. ULBs also struggle technically, managerially, and financially. 

       Concluding from these, we can tell what these problems can be attributed to.

• Lack of planning and regulations on city expansion, 
• Lack of vision to involve and spend on modern technology and PPPs (Public–Private partnerships), 
• Lack of involvement in and care for surroundings other than one's own home premises, 
• Lack of promotion for recycled and biodegradable products, and  
• Lack of restriction and discouragement on use of PET and other plastics. 

       All these can be stated as reasons which Delhi resorted to burning of their SWs for. Although the rate of SW generation is lower in Indian cities on par with western counterparts, we have to be extra-cautious and foresighted to avoid what happened to our national capital. No Indian city can claim 100% segregation in the dwelling unit. It is impossible to achieve results without active participation of people and awareness on the environment.

IIT Kanpur report on Delhi’s air pollution

       The report published in 2016 cites MSW burning and vehicular pollution as critical contributors of air pollution apart from crop residue burning. The report clearly states that if MSW burning is stopped and waste management is upgraded, it would improve Delhi’s air quality by 100%. Control of vehicular pollution would do the same by 50%, and stopping crop residue burning would ensure 90%. Delhi’s air remains polluted throughout the year because of MSW burning and vehicular pollution. Approximately 190–246 tonnes of MSW is are burnt every day in Delhi. Crop residue burning only tips the scales in favour of a catastrophe. However, Delhiites and civic authorities both have assiduously avoided segregating waste at source.

Contradictory efforts by the government and citizens of Delhi

       Farmers in Punjab are being asked to manage 15-million tonnes of paddy stalk sustainably without any choice. But no one is asking the residents of Delhi to do the simple thing of keeping two separate waste bins at home. On the contrary, in an effort to protect them from a pollution crisis fuelled by their own consumption, Delhiites have tried to buy their way out of it. The sale of household air purifiers and steroidal inhalers has skyrocketed. The Delhi government is considering seeding clouds in order to get artificial rain to clean up Delhi’s air rather than causing inconvenience to its citizenry with waste segregation measures. More efforts should be made by the citizens of Delhi.

       In a paradox that truly defines India, farmers are being goaded by policies to provide food security and ensure groundwater conservation. And now, protect Delhi from pollution while Delhi elites need to do nothing. The other irony is that Delhi’s environment is repeatedly being rescued by judicial interventions, not by its elected representatives.

       Delhi needs radical policies: more car-free zones, increased taxation on the sale of private vehicles, clampdown on illegal parking, and making a prerequisite for car purchase.

Silver linings in an otherwise black cloud

       It cannot be said that nothing is happening in the way forward at all. Various initiatives have been taken in various Indian cities in different stages of waste management, which are listed below.



       Some of the innovative practices include decentralized SW collection and management in Mumbai, Pammal, and Koyambedu. Processing vegetable wastes in Koyambedu daily market by means of biomethanation project and composting is yielding good results. Exnora Green Pammal (EGP) initiative is recovering and converting wet wastes into marketable manure and biogas and dry wastes into bags, mats, and some other stationery items.

       Also there are 15-lakh waste pickers in the country making their living by recovering, sorting, and selling recycled materials like paper, plastic, glass, and metals. Their efforts are unrecognized and unorganized, and they are living in unsanitary conditions and poor societal status. Here is a case study of one of the initiatives that makes effort to integrate and recognize them.

PPP between Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Waste Pickers Association (KKPKP)

       KKPKP has recognized and trained 1500 waste pickers to collect wastes from 1.25- lakh households. This covers about 60% of the PMC area. PMC provides them with equipment and management for deposition and sorting out of wastes. They work for about 4 hours a day with one weekly holiday. They are also authorized to charge a user fee of ₹10–40 per household per month for their services apart from a fixed annual salary of ₹7000. They are also entitled to sell recyclable wastes.

Results of this PPP

1. About 60 MTs of SW per day is diverted away from landfills. And the target is set to be 100% diversion. 
2. 80–85% wastes are processed or recycled and converted into products, which results in ₹15 crore annual savings for PMC and scaling down of carbon emissions. 

What is the need for PPPs in this sector?

       ULBs alone cannot bear the estimated 5 billion USD for adequate MSW management in India. So PPPs are the needed course of action to share the burden both financially and logistically. Inclusion of private players should also be in the recycling sector, and the sector is yet to be formalised. We need to import proven technologies on an immediate basis.

Why energy-from-waste projects are in bay?

       Planning Commission (now NITI Aayog) reports a potential of 439 MW power from combustion-related processes and 72 MW power from landfill methane and 5.4 MTs of agricultural manure as a by-product. Ever wondered why our government is still resorting to hydrocarbon extraction from earth through fracking? Because, unlike claimed by some people, energy (mostly in the form of methane) extraction from MSW is not so easy and economically viable and it has many things to do with our negligence towards at-source segregation. Although currently there are many plants established by the government in various places, they are relatively lower in capacity.

Presence of low caloric matter (inert and construction & demolition wastes): this one is mainly due to non-segregation of wastes.
Non-availability of required MSW quality at plant site.
Lack of market policy for products coming out of it.

       With the annual generation of SW being increased 2.44 times in the last decade, the projects related to energy extraction are badly needed. There are various extraction methods too, with each one having its own downsides and upsides. So the choice of process also poses a hindrance as different parts of the nation have different patterns and compositions of waste generation. Also different methods prevent different volumes of wastes from reaching the landfills.

• Landfill capture (inefficient but of lesser cost)
• Combustion (causes pollution)
• Pyrolysis (exhibits lower greenhouse gas emission but has costly infrastructure)
• Gasification (again, has costly infrastructure)
• Plasma arc gasification

       These are the problems with these projects. We can't blame the government alone without taking any effort from our side.

What are the ill-effects of unscientific disposal?

       A survey reveals that 16 to 100% of the collected wastes reach dumpsites in Indian cities. If India continues on this landfill route, for the period of 2031–50 alone, 43000 hectares of land with wastes being piled at 20 m height will be needed. And the wastes that don't reach landfills are dumped along roadside in the city outskirts, which are prone to floods during monsoon. This is the major source of surface and ground water contamination. Methane that escapes from landfill sites accounts for 13% of global emission of it. 

Washington sets an example 

       It has been in the Leadership in the Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) framework from 2006 and has regulations on building efficiencies.

Results

• 2006 to 2013: one-third reduction in CO2 emissions.
• Last 5 yrs saw 13% reduction in overall water consumption.
• Recycles half of its waste.

Surat (India's 8th largest city) is now interested in joining the LEED for city framework among the 100+ cities around the world.

• Efforts in the span of just 11 yrs could cut emissions and water consumption of a large city like Washington D.C. to such levels.

Conclusions and inferences we can derive

• Charging a small user fee should only be viewed as part of quick-paced development. This also recognises the efforts of hitherto unrecognized waste pickers and is beneficial both economically and socially for them. Indian urban population (currently 32%) is fast growing, and a tax levied on this is essential.
• Efforts from residents to keep their wastes segregated by themselves will ease out a whole lot of pressure in different stages of WM as in collecting, using them for scientific projects, quick disposal, etc. Scientific attempts will bring in a more or less permanent solution along with benefits like biogas, manure, etc.
• Universities and colleges around the country should be encouraged to take up waste management, at least, as a part of curriculum. This will facilitate the development of location-specific solutions. For students to be interested in such courses, formalisation of recycling and energy extraction as a separate sector is must.
• Manufacturing of non-recyclable polyethylene bags and products should be banned, at least reduced, and at the same time, research on biodegradable plastics should be funded and promoted among people. Maybe instead of banning altogether, a higher tax can be levied on usage of non-recyclable products.
• Setting action plans and targets regarding WM is vital. A contemporary example of how systemic efforts can lead to wonderful results is seen in Washington D.C. From the implementation of the LEED framework from 2006 to now, the city has seen one-third reduction in CO2 emissions and 13% reduction of water intake. 

Things to remember 

• Discourage buying bottled water during travel. Avoid soft drinks, at least, in plastic bottles.
• Always dump degradable and non-degradable wastes in separate bins even if you're the only one doing it. It's a beginning.
• Have a soft corner for recycled products just for the sake of people behind it.
• Reject a shop keeper’s offer to pack what you buy in a polyethylene bag. Bring your own biodegradable or reusable bag.
• If you are an engineer, if possible spend some time thinking and searching for a solution to a problem you see in public. After all, it is (y)our country.

One crazy idea!!!

       We have one such. If in the future, the space travel becomes efficient in terms of cost, fuel, and time, we can load lots and lots of wastes which we cannot deal with full assurance of zero-troubles and send them possibly with a reusable spacecraft cum carrier to a distant place, say Moon (or Mars, which is mostly preferred) or just launch it into the interstellar space. We can literally get rid of it forever! It can work out for sure in the near future as far as we can imagine very dangerous wastes like nuclear wastes.

Blame-Game in different issues

       Significant sections of recent reportage on Delhi’s air pollution have trained their guns on paddy stalk burning in Punjab and Haryana, positioning it as a key contributor to the crisis. Some have pinned the blame on the Green Revolution and the rampant use of tube wells, which converted Punjab to a paddy-growing landscape. Others have pointed at the recent success of the Punjab Preservation of Subsoil Water Act, 2009. Aiming at arresting Punjab’s falling groundwater tables, the act banned farmers from transplanting rice in fields before June so that they would not pump groundwater and rely more on the monsoon rains for their water supply. This allowed a window of barely 20 days for farmers to get their fields ready for sowing wheat after harvesting paddy (and can be seen as a reason behind stubble burning). 


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