The Niti Aayog, in its Draft Three Year Action Agenda, has drawn attention to the need for a sustainable plan for solid waste management in Indian cities.
The Aayog has taken the stand that incineration or “Waste to Energy” is the best option as a sustainable disposal solution for the solid waste of larger cities.
What is Incineration?
Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of organic substances contained in waste materials.
Incineration of waste materials converts the waste into ash, flue gas and heat.
The ash is mostly formed by the inorganic constituents of the waste, and may take the form of solid lumps or particulates carried by the flue gas.
In some cases, the heat generated by incineration can be used to generate electric power.
Incineration with energy recovery is one of several waste-to-energy (WTE) technologies such as gasification, pyrolysis and anaerobic digestion.
What are the drawbacks of Incineration technology?
WTE is moving fast, regulatory challenges are enormous and the challenges of enforcing emission standards are even greater.
The Niti Aayog fails to point out that when incineration plants in cities use unsegregated waste to generate electricity, they emit toxic gases as by-products and irresponsibly dispose of these “dangerous by-products” in the air.
Incineration technologies require a continuous supply of waste with a sufficiently high calorific value and low moisture content.
Researchers found that Indian waste is not suitable for incineration because it has too high a moisture content, leading to low calorific value.
The Niti Aayog is silent on the segregation of wet waste from dry waste at the source of generating waste.
No revenue is available for a new Central corporation on solid waste management; the land on which plants will be built also belongs to urban local governments or state governments.
What could be done?
Incentives for segregation and a penalty for non-segregation must be the first action point of any agenda on municipal solid waste management.
If segregated at source, it can be collected and delivered at a local Bio-methanation plant for anaerobic processing.
Bio-methanation allows the capture of biogas which can be used for cooking or for electricity generation, it also produces liquid fertiliser.
If this practice is followed across the country, 50% of the wastes in urban India need not to be hauled over long distances to waste to energy plants and landfills.
The decentralised strategy for treating biodegradable waste is as much relevant for large cities as for small.
What is the way forward?
The Niti Aayog has recommended setting up a Waste to Energy Corporation of India under the Ministry of Urban Development, “Which may set up world-class waste to energy plants through public-private partnerships (PPP) across the country”.
The policy focus must not sway from examining the financial and environmental costs and benefits of the different alternatives for waste management.
India do not have effective mechanisms for monitoring emissions, the health hazard becomes even more challenging.
Niti Aayog must follow up with extensive consultation with subject experts, stakeholders and practitioners in state governments and urban local governments.
Individual households, housing societies, Resident Welfare Associations and bulk generators should be at the centre of the movement to get segregation.
The waste must be delivered to the plant in closed containers and processed within a specified short period, while the biogas and liquid fertiliser must be used to derive environmental benefits.
