Solid waste refers to any solid or semi-solid domestic waste, sanitary waste, commercial waste, institutional waste, catering and market waste, street sweepings, silt collected from drains, horticulture waste, agricultural and dairy waste, treated biomedical waste, excluding industrial, bio-medical hardware and e-waste, battery waste and radioactive waste. On the other hand, hazardous waste includes waste materials that are harmful to health or the environment, either immediately or over time.
In India, urban areas alone generate approximately 0.15 million tonnes per day of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). The country generates around 62 million tonnes of waste annually, including 5.6 million tonnes of plastic waste and 0.17 million tonnes of biomedical waste. Moreover, the generation of hazardous waste is reported to be 7.90 million tonnes per year, with e-waste accounting for 15 lakh tonnes. These figures are projected to increase drastically in the coming years, with waste volume expected to reach 165 million tonnes by 2031 and 436 million tonnes by 2050.
The Challenge of Managing Solid Waste
The rapid urbanisation in India has given rise to hyper-consumerism, leading to increased waste generation. The management of this ever-growing waste is a challenge due to factors like the lack of financial resources with Municipal Corporations or Urban Local Bodies, resulting in poor collection, transportation and management of solid waste. Additionally, organic farming and composting are not seen as economically viable alternatives since chemical pesticides heavily subsidise them, and the marketing of compost is not efficient.
Role and Challenges of the Informal Sector in Waste Management
In many developing countries, including India, the informal waste sector majorly carries out waste collection and material recycling activities. This sector includes waste pickers who collect, sort, sell and buy recyclable materials. These individuals or associations contribute significantly to the cities’ waste recycling practices by collecting, sorting, processing, storing and trading waste materials in the recycling value chain.
However, these waste pickers face numerous challenges. The job is low-paying and often unacknowledged despite its significance. They live and work under unhealthy conditions, often residing close to dumpsites without access to drinking water or public toilets. They lack appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), resulting in common health issues like malnutrition, anaemia and tuberculosis. Moreover, they are stigmatised and often subjected to exploitative social behaviour. Child labour is prevalent amongst this group, and they are not covered under any labour legislation, meaning they do not benefit from social security and medical insurance schemes.
Solid Waste Management Rules 2016: An Overview
The Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules 2016 introduced specific responsibilities for waste generators. These include segregating waste into three streams, namely Wet (Biodegradable), Dry (Plastic, Paper, metal, wood, etc.) and Domestic hazardous wastes (diapers, napkins, empty containers of cleaning agents, mosquito repellents, etc.). The rules also mandate that waste generators must hand over these segregated wastes to authorized rag-pickers or waste collectors or local bodies, and pay a ‘user fee’ to waste collectors and a ‘spot fine’ for littering and non-segregation.
The SWM 2016 rules created a framework for the management of solid waste, placing obligations on manufacturers, bulk generators, market associations, event organisers, and hotels and restaurants to manage waste in partnership with local bodies.
Government Initiatives for Solid Waste Management
The Indian government has introduced several initiatives to tackle the issue of solid waste. The Waste to Wealth Mission, a part of the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PMSTIAC), aims to develop technologies to treat waste, generate energy, recycle materials, and extract valuable resources.
Next is the National Water Mission, which focuses on conserving water, minimising waste, and ensuring more equitable distribution of water resources. Waste-to-energy plants convert municipal and industrial solid waste into electricity or heat for industrial processing.
Informal Workers and the Way Forward
Given the significant role of informal workers in waste management, there’s a need to implement a law acknowledging and integrating them into the waste management chain. The law should provide them with identity cards, access to waste for collection, segregation, and sorting, PPE, access to basic necessities like water, sanitation, clean living facilities, and health insurance.
The government should form partnerships with waste-picker organisations, as mentioned in SWM 2016 rules, paving the way for proper waste management. There’s also an urgent need to recognise waste as an economic opportunity, encouraging practices like gasification of waste, recycling, and extraction of valuable resources from waste.
