India generates 1.7 Lakh tonnes of municipal waste daily; nearly 40% not formally processed: Report

India has made substantial progress in collecting municipal waste, but processing has not kept pace, according to a new report released on Wednesday, 5 August.

Of approximately 170,000 tonnes of municipal waste generated each day, around 104,000 tonnes is processed, according to the report by the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development (IGSD) and Gateway Research.

The remaining waste either reaches disposal sites unprocessed or remains in the gap recorded in official data, says the report titled ‘Municipal Solid Waste Management in India: Policy and Technology Pathways for Climate Action,’

The studey found India collects more than 90 per ent of the municipal solid waste it generates, but nearly 40 per cent does not enter formal processing. It argues that the next phase of India’s waste-management effort must therefore extend beyond collection and focus on segregation, processing, material recovery and safe disposal.

Organic material forms of waste

The report finds that organic material forms between 40 per cent and 60 per cent of India’s municipal waste stream. Better segregation and treatment of this material through options such as composting and biomethanation could prevent substantial volumes of waste from reaching dumpsites while creating useful products and economic value, it said.

“India has made real progress in ensuring that waste is collected. The next task is to ensure that what is collected is not simply moved from the doorstep to a dumpsite,” said Zerin Osho, Director, India Program, IGSD, and President, Gateway Research said.

The report was released an event in New Delhi on Wednesda that brought together representatives of urban local bodies, policymakers, waste-management practitioners, researchers, environmental organisations, industry and development partners.

“Clearing old dumpsites without changing how fresh waste is segregated and processed would only allow the problem to rebuild itself. India must address both at the same time. The opportunity is to turn better waste management into cleaner cities, stronger local economies and rapid reductions in methane emissions," Osho said.

Gateway Research is a policy research organisation working on climate, environment and sustainable development, with a focus on translating evidence into practical policy and implementation pathways.

‘Fragmentation a major challenge’

“Fragmentation of institutional roles is a major challenge affecting accountability. We do have rules clearly defining responsibilities, but still there is limited enforcement of compliance and accountability," said Gaurav Verma, National Institute of Urban Affairs.

“Other specific issues which need to be addressed include municipal finances, a binding constraint; limited innovative financing tools and, often, limited capacity at the last mile to deal appropriately with waste,” Verma said

Here are key findings of the report:

• Municipal spending remains concentrated on collection and transportation. Between 60% and 70% of expenditure goes towards street sweeping and collection, with a further 20% to 30% spent on transportation. This leaves a comparatively small share for processing and scientific disposal.
• Segregation often breaks down after waste leaves the doorstep. Collection vehicles, contracts and transfer systems are frequently not designed to keep different waste streams separate until they reach processing facilities.
• Legacy-dumpsite remediation alone will not prevent the problem from recurring. Cities must clear accumulated waste while simultaneously improving the management of newly generated waste.

• Integrated action could deliver major climate gains. The report’s modelling estimates that combining legacy-site remediation with reforms across the fresh-waste chain could reduce waste-sector methane emissions by around 99% within 10–15 years and bring them close to zero by 2047.

“In terms of human-caused methane emissions, waste is the third-largest sector contributing 20% methane emissions. We also know that waste sector emissions are driven by urbanization and unregulated waste streams esp in the Global South. Findings from these reports thus become crucial to formulate the right pathways for a sustainable future," said Vidvatta Sharma of the Global Methane Hub.