Question

Discuss the problems of Urban Waste Management in India.

Hint:

Write problems under seven heads—generation/segregation, collection, processing, disposal, governance/finance, social/health, climate—and conclude with a concise way forward using the 3R hierarchy.

Answer 1

Context: Rapid urbanization has increased municipal solid waste (MSW) generation, but systems for segregation, collection, treatment and disposal remain inadequate in many Indian cities.
1) Generation & segregation issues
- High volumes, mixed waste: Organic, plastics, paper, C&D, hazardous and e-waste often remain unsegregated at source.
- Behavioural gaps: Limited citizen participation and weak enforcement of source segregation (2/3-bin system).
2) Collection & transport constraints
- Incomplete coverage/irregularity: Door-to-door collection not universal; open bins overflow; stray dumping and littering persist.
- Logistics gaps: Inadequate transfer stations, route planning, compactors and Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs).
3) Processing shortfalls
- Low treatment capacity: Limited composting/biomethanation for wet waste; poor quality of segregated feedstock.
- WtE challenges: Waste-to-Energy plants struggle with high moisture/low calorific value of mixed waste; emissions and community opposition (NIMBY).
- C&D/e-waste/biomedical: Separate streams are often under-served; informal recycling lacks safety and traceability.
4) Disposal problems
- Legacy dumpsites: Open dumping causes fires, odour, leachate contamination and methane emissions; scientific landfills are scarce or poorly operated.
- Land scarcity: Difficulty in siting new facilities due to environmental and social concerns.
5) Governance & finance
- Capacity gaps in ULBs: Shortage of trained staff, data systems and monitoring; fragmented responsibilities.
- Contracts & incentives: Tipping-fee models may reward tonnage rather than segregation; PPP risks and technology mis-selection.
- Cost recovery: Low user charges and irregular collection of fees constrain O&M.
6) Social & health dimensions
- Informal sector exclusion: Waste pickers lack formal integration, safety gear and social security despite high recovery contributions.
- Public health & environment: Vector-borne diseases, air pollution from open burning, groundwater contamination from leachate.
7) Climate & resilience
- Methane emissions: From organic waste in dumpsites; missed opportunity for compost/biogas.
- Disaster waste: Storms/floods generate surge volumes; cities lack contingency plans.
Way forward (actionable solutions)
- Segregation at source: Mandatory 3-bin system (wet/dry/hazardous) with incentives and penalties; intensive IEC campaigns.
- Decentralized wet-waste management: Community/ward-level composting and biomethanation; use compost in parks and peri-urban agriculture.
- Dry-waste recovery: Ward MRFs, producer take-back and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for plastics, e-waste and batteries.
- Scientific landfills: Engineered sites only for treatment residues; leachate and landfill gas capture with flaring/energy use.
- Legacy dumpsite remediation: Bio-mining and capping; recover land for green/public use.
- Integrate informal sector: Register SHGs/cooperatives (e.g., waste-picker collectives), provide PPE, fair payments and inclusion in door-to-door systems.
- Technology fit: Match process to waste profile; WtE only with pre-segregated high-calorific RDF and strict emission norms.
- Data & digital tools: GPS routing, weighbridges, MIS dashboards; performance-linked payments.
- Financing & governance: Ring-fence user charges, viability gap support for treatment plants, strong monitoring under updated SWM rules; inter-departmental coordination.
- Replication of best practices: Indore's segregation-led model, Ambikapur's decentralized system, Pune's SWaCH integration of waste pickers.
Priority: Reduce–Reuse–Recycle with source segregation, decentralized wet-waste treatment, dry-waste recovery, and scientific landfilling of residues.