CLEAN INDIA

A Report on Indian Solid Waste Management

12/7/2010
Group 12
Edwin Jude
Hariom Singh
Kiran S Kumar
Kushal Sutodiya
Vineeth V
Abstract
Due to rapid urbanization and uncontrolled growth rate of population, solid waste
management has become acute in India. The current practices of the uncontrolled dumping
of waste on the outskirts of towns/cities have created a serious environmental and public
health problem. Plastic waste which is biggest problem in waste management is recycled in
India in an “unorganized” way. 60% of the plastic-waste collected and segregated gets
recycled back into materials for further processing into consumer products, while the
balance is left unutilized.

The focus of the conference is to evaluate the present situation of Solid Waste Management
and Plastic Management in India based an approach to design a sustainable system to meet
the future challenge is presented. Some of the best practices are also detailed. The efforts
by a community-based organization to promote a sustainable integrated waste
management in mega cities and lessons learnt from EXNORA’s Zero Waste Management
Scheme in South Indian cities has also been outlined.

Introduction
Solid wastes are all the wastes arising from human and animal activities that are normally
solid and are discarded as useless or unwanted. Generation of solid waste is not a new
phenomenon. It is as old as the human civilization. In the early days, before the advent of
the industrial revolution, the major constituents of wastes were domestic sewage and
agricultural residues, which were biodegradable in nature. Since population was less and
fallow land was in plenty, solid wastes could be conveniently disposed off in the
countryside either on open ground or were placed in pits covered with layers of earth.
Because of their biodegradable nature they used to get decomposed and assimilated in the
soil. However, with unparallel industrialization and consequent organization not only has
the quantity of the solid waste increased
Solid wastes are unwanted materials disposed
but its quality has also changed. Though by mankind. Domestic, Commercial,
rural wastes continue to be made up of Institutional, Municipal, Bulky, Ashes and
Garbage are the types of wastes.
domestic wastes and agricultural residues
 mainly, waste from urban areas and the
The most commonly recognized methods for
the final disposal of solid wastes are: industrial units contains diverse types of
 Dumping on land materials that include toxic and hazardous
 Dumping in water
constituents.
 Plowing into the soil
 Incineration
Solid Waste Management may be defined as
the discipline associated with the control of generation, collection, storage, transfer and
transport, processing and disposal of solid wastes in a manner that is in accord with the
best principles of public health, economics, engineering, conservation, aesthetics and other
environmental considerations.
Various problems are faced due to solid wastes disposal. Dumping of solid wastes in the
open could create aesthetic problems as the beauty of a place is destroyed. The garbage
forms a source of food for rats, flies, mosquitoes and the like. Hence typhoid, plague,
dysentery, diarrhoea epidemics could occur. Toxic hazardous substances in the wastes
would be harmful to human and animal health. The plastics if eaten by cows could be fatal.
Solid wastes could also pollute water and
their burning could lead to air pollution.

Segregation of municipal
solid waste
In order to encourage the citizens,
municipal authority shall organize
awareness programs for segregation of
wastes and shall promote recycling or
reuse of segregated materials. The
municipal authority shall undertake phased
program to ensure community
participation in waste segregation. For this
purpose, the municipal authorities shall
arrange regular meetings at quarterly
intervals with representatives of local resident welfare associations and non-governmental
organizations.

Storage of municipal
solid wastes
Municipal authorities shall establish
and maintain storage facilities in such
a manner, as they do not create
unhygienic and unsanitary conditions
around it. Following criteria shall be
taken into account while establishing
and maintaining storage facilities,
namely:
 Storage facilities shall be created and established by taking into account quantities
of waste generation in a given area and the population densities. A storage facility
shall be so placed that it is accessible to users.
 Storage facilities to be set up by municipal authorities or any other agency shall be
so designed that wastes stored are not exposed to open atmosphere and shall be
aesthetically acceptable and user-friendly.
 Storage facilities or ‘bins’ shall have ‘easy to operate’ design for handling, transfer
and transportation of waste. Bins for storage of bio-degradable wastes shall be
painted green, those for storage of recyclable wastes shall be painted white and
those for storage of other wastes shall be painted black.
Manual handling of waste shall be prohibited. If unavoidable due to constraints, manual
handling shall be carried out under proper precaution with due care for safety of workers.

Processing of municipal solid wastes

Municipal authorities shall adopt suitable technology or combination of such technologies
to make use of wastes so as to minimize burden on landfill. Following criteria shall be
adopted, namely
  The biodegradable wastes shall be processed by composting, vermi-composting,
anaerobic digestion or any other appropriate biological processing for stabilization
of wastes.
 Mixed waste containing recoverable resources shall follow the route of recycling.
Incineration with or without energy recovery can also be used for processing wastes
in specific cases.
 Municipal authority or the operator of a facility wishing to use other state-of-the-art
technologies shall approach the Central Pollution Control Board to get the standards
laid down before applying for grant of authorization.

Disposal of municipal solid wastes

Land filling shall be restricted to non-biodegradable, inert waste and other waste that are
not suitable either for recycling or for biological processing. Land filling shall also be
carried out for residues of waste processing facilities as well as pre-processing rejects from
waste processing facilities. Land filling of mixed waste shall be avoided unless the same is
found unsuitable for waste processing. Under unavoidable circumstances or till installation
of alternate facilities, land filling shall be done following proper norms.

Managing Non-biodegradable solid waste (NBDSW)

Non-biodegradable solid waste (NBDSW) or
refuse is a carpet word. It covers a variety of
materials ranging from asbestos to Zinc
batteries. Polythene and its related
compounds are the most commonly found
solid waste materials in urban environs. Many
non-biodegradable solid waste materials are
known to cause considerable environmental
hazards when released into land, water and
atmosphere.
Coastal environment and social waste management
Solid waste related problems prevail more in megalopolis and the dangers reach great
heights in coastal cities. Solid wastes of domestic and industrial units are considered major
pollutants of coastal regions of India. Nearly 44000 m3 of domestic sewage and 440 m3 of
industrial waste are discharged every year into the seas of India.

NEERI’s Contribution
towards SWM in India
Since last three decades, at National
Environmental Engineering Research
Institute (NEERI), SWM Division has
been carrying research, development
and expertise extension program to
improve the status of waste management in the country. In order to perform practice-
driven research, NEERI has been consistently working with the partnership of related
organizations in the country.
The prominent best practices evolved during the last five years, are described below:
 Preparation of strategy paper on SWM in India;
 Long term planning of SWM;
 Bio-methanation of vegetable market wastes;
 Greenhouse gas inventory estimation for waste sector, its uncertainty analysis and
formulated measures to mitigate the same;
 Utilization of landfill site for construction of Rail Car Depot;
 Site selection criteria for sanitary landfills;
 Utilization of residue from destruction of soiled currency notes.
NEERI has successfully developed strategic long-term plans for a number of cities including
metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Islands like Lakshadweep and Port Blair. NEERI
is also assisting in implementation of the long-term plans.
EXNORA’S Zero’s Waste Management Scheme
EXNORA, a local non-governmental organization
(NGO) based on a ‘zero waste management
scheme’ set up, run and financed by the
residents themselves. EXNORA, which is an
acronym for ‘Excellent Novel Radical’, has been
driving the environmentalist movement for
sustainable urban development In Chennai
(INDIA) since 1989. It has been promoting
community-based projects in areas where the
local government is unable to provide sufficient
service. EXNORA identified SWM as a medium to promote a new model of society based on
participative democracy. It is an idealistic model because if it were to work as originally
envisaged it suggests that citizens would no longer need local government for the provision
of basic needs such as a clean environment. It stresses the need for local bodies to be more
aware of people’s concerns and for citizens to be more involved in civic affairs. This model
has been implemented in two cities viz. Chennai and Hyderabad. They show that motivated
individuals can successfully set up and manage waste collection systems that lead to overall
environmental improvements. The system advocated by EXNORA seems to require
significant local resources, and
political and technical support which
are hard to find and sustain without
strong local leaders. This is based on
triangular contracts between the
municipality, the residents and
microenterprises and may provide a
good solution in dealing with the
technical and commercial aspects
which communities find difficult.
Solid waste management framework
It is critical to adopt a broad approach in developing a working framework for solid waste
management (SWM). This covers the social, economic, technology, political and
administrative dimensions. For example the social dimension of SWM involves waste
minimization; the economic dimension of SWM involves waste recycling; the technology
dimension of SWM involves waste disposal; and the political and administrative
dimensions cuts across all the three issues of minimization, recycling and disposal.

Waste Waste Waste

Minimization Recycling Disposal
« ··· SOCIAL ··· » « ··· ECONOMIC ··· » « ··· TECHNOLOGY ··· »
« ··· ··· ··· ··· ··· ··· ··· POLITICAL ··· ··· ··· ··· ··· ··· ··· »
« ··· ··· ··· ··· ··· ··· ADMINISTRATIVE ··· ··· ··· ··· ··· ··· »

The whole Indian culture of waste management needs to be put in place - from the micro-
level of household and neighborhood to the macro levels of city, state and nation. The
general assumption in India is that SWM should be done at the city-level, and as a result,
solutions tried out have been essentially ‘end-of-pipe’. But this approach essentially misses
the forest for the trees, in attempting piece-meal and ad hoc solutions to waste problems,
instead of taking a long-term holistic approach.
In reality there are a number of critical actions that need to be taken at each of the levels of
household, neighborhood, city and nation. Action to be taken can have social, technology,
economic, political or administrative dimensions. The following matrix has been
formulated to link the dimensions of
decision-making (social, technology,
End-of-pipe refers to finding solutions to a
economic, political and administrative) problem at the final stage of its cycle of
with the levels of decision-making causes and effects. In the case of urban
waste, it means focusing on waste
(household, neighborhood, city, and nation) disposal rather than waste recycling or
- helps in categorizing the decisions, action waste minimization
and related activities to be undertaken.
The SWM Matrix
Dimensions and
Levels of Household Neighborhood City Nation
decision-making

Social * * *

Technology * * *

Economic * * * *

Political * * *

Administrative * * *
* Focal areas for action

The above matrix categorizes the various SWM activities and actions that should be taken -
allowing identifying weak areas - the lacks, gaps and mismatches, in policies, programs and
projects.
Four key issues emerge from the above discussion –

1. The SWM Matrix

The advantage of the SWM matrix of scales and themes is its essential simplicity -
allowing for easy understanding and its adoption to various scales, and socio-
political and cultural situations. Gaps in existing SWM programs and initiatives can
also be identified. The matrix helps in understanding the interrelationships and
interconnectedness of the various issues involved.
2. End-of-Pipe v/s Life-Cycle
There is a gradual shift from 'end-of
Life Cycle Analysis is a systematic set of
pipe' solutions that focus on waste procedures for compiling and examining the
disposal, to a source based approach inputs and outputs of materials and energy and
that is aimed at 'life-cycle' analysis. the associated environmental impacts directly
attributable to the functioning of a product or
This places the responsibility not only service system throughout its life cycle.
on households, but also in
 manufacturers and retail businesses. Greater awareness at the local and community level
has forced businesses and industries to take a more environmental friendly approach to
their activities, including better management of the wastes that they produce, using a
more holistic life-cycle assessment.
3. Community-Local Government Partnership
As a consequence of the above two points is the realization that collection and
processing of waste is not the exclusive domain of the local government - calling for
a more comprehensive partnership between the community and local governments
where each actor has a role to play towards waste minimization, waste recycling
and waste disposal.
4. SWM and the Larger Urban Environment
As mentioned above, SWM is not an isolated, municipal problem that has to be done
by the local government. There is a need for a more comprehensive package of
measures. Critical to this approach is to integrate SWM activities within the larger
process of urban environmental management.

Design of Appropriate Waste Management System

An approach to design sustainable waste management system and operating guidelines is outlined
below-
Quantity and Characteristics: Quantity and characteristics of the waste are the major factors,
which decide magnitude of waste management problem. It is necessary to carry out weighment
exercise regularly to assess the quantity of waste. Future per capita quantity can be estimated with
the help of projected population and annual
increase of per capita quantity. On the basis of
the waste quantity, infrastructure requirement
can be estimated. It is also necessary to carry
out characterization studies frequently in order
to assess the changes in waste characteristics
due to ever-changing scenario. This data will
also serve as a basis for selection of
disposal/treatment option.
Collection of Waste: Properly designed
collection bins and implements should be used
for collection and storage of waste. Wastes
should be collected frequently in order to avoid
accumulation, which leads to degradation of
environmental and aesthetic quality. Suggested
collection frequencies for cities with different
population ranges have been presented in
Table 3. Suggestion from the citizen as well as workers for improvement in the design of bins and
implements will be useful. Spacing and location of the bins should be fixed on the basis of the waste
load and public opinion. House to house collection system can be introduced gradually to ensure
environment friendly collection practices.
Transportation of Waste: Selection of properly designed vehicles is important. Various factors like
width of the road, transport volume, road conditions, etc. play important role in selection of
vehicles. Proper garage should be provided to save the vehicles from wear and tear due to heat and
rain. Preventing maintenance system should be introduced which is useful for longer life of the
vehicles. Vehicle route should be properly planned for proper utilization of manpower, saving of
fuel and reduction of time. Time and motion study should be conducted to reduce the non-
productive idle time of the vehicles and increase productivity.
Disposal of Waste: Sanitary landfill technique should be adopted for disposal for waste.
Compaction of waste should be carried out regularly preferably with bulldozer. A daily earth cover
of 15 cm thickness and final cover of 60 cm thickness should be applied over the compacted waste.
These practices will minimize migration of
leach ate through soil strata, suppress the foul
odor and improve the aesthetic quality.
Impervious clay liner/synthetic liner should be
provided at the bottom of the landfill for
protection of groundwater from environmental
pollution. Perforate polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
pipe can be provided for leachate collection. It
is also desirable to install gas collection and
flaring system to prevent continuous escape of
methane in the surrounding atmosphere.
Treatment/Recycling of Waste: Composting is
the process of decomposition and stabilization
of organic matter under controlled condition.
Since India is an agriculture-based country,
there is a need for popularization of the
product among the farmers and to exploit the
manure value of the product. Waste
minimization, through segregation of recyclable
materials like plastics, glass, metals, etc. is
another aspect, which needs special attention. NGOs may come forward to promote the activity.
Waste pickers may be trained so that the segregation of recyclable items can be done in a more
systematic and organized way.
Financial Structure: A new tax scheme can be introduced to meet the expenditure for
modernization of SWM system and to improve the financial status of municipal corporation.
Additional charges can be collected from the individuals availing house-to-house collection facility.
Community Participation: Community participation is essential for smooth and efficient operation
of SWM system. In every area, citizen forums should be formed. These forums should comprise
citizen’s representatives, social workers and municipal officers. Immediate action based on
feedback from such forum will go a long way in improving the situation. Various programs should
be conducted for increasing public awareness.

Conclusion
SWM is a vital, ongoing and large public service system, which needs to be efficiently provided to
the community to maintain aesthetic and public health standards. Municipal agencies will have to
plan and execute the system in keeping with the increasing urban areas and population. There has
to be a systematic effort in the improvement in various factors like institutional arrangement,
financial provisions, appropriate technology, operations management, human resource
development, public participation and awareness, and policy and legal framework for an integrated
SWM system. To achieve Cleanliness, which is next to Godliness, it is necessary to design and
operate an efficient SWM system. Public co-operation is essential for successful operation of such a
system.
References

Solid Waste Management

 www.wikipedia.org

NEERI
 http://www.neeri.res.in/

EXNORA – Zero waste Management

 http://www.exnora.in

Framework of SWM
 http://www.gdrc.org/uem/waste/swm-matrix.html

Design of appropriate waste management system

 http://www.adb.org