Student Notes:

WASTE MANAGEMENT
Contents
1. Classification of Waste ............................................................................................................... 2

2. Impact of Waste Accumulation .................................................................................................. 2

3. Solid Waste Management .......................................................................................................... 2

3.1. Methods of Disposal of Solid Waste ................................................................................... 4

4. Waste to Energy ......................................................................................................................... 5

5. Plastic Pollution .......................................................................................................................... 6

6. E-Waste .................................................................................................................................... 10

6.1. Bio Medical Waste............................................................................................................. 12

6.2. International Initiatives for Waste Management .............................................................. 13

6.2.1. Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste

and their Disposal ................................................................................................................ 13

6.2.2. Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure (PIC) for Certain
Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade ................................................ 13

6.2.3. Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) ................................. 14

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7. UPSC Previous Year Questions ................................................................................................. 16

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8. Vision IAS Previous Years Test Series Questions....................................................................... 16

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“Wastes” are materials which are discarded after use at the end of their intended life-span. Waste Student Notes:
management is a collective activity involving segregation, collection, transportation, re-
processing, recycling and disposal of various types of wastes. Waste management differs for
different types of wastes and for wastes in different geographical locations such as urban, rural
and hilly areas.

1. Classification of Waste
It is important to classify waste so that based on their nature and properties we may opt for the
most suitable method for their management and disposal.

2. Impact of Waste Accumulation

According to World Health Organization 22 types of diseases can be prevented or controlled by
improving solid waste management in India. Hence, people in India as well as local municipal
bodies should change their casual attitude towards waste management. A more collective,
structured and institutional approach from all stakeholders will be required to address this
menace. It can lead to:
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3. Solid Waste Management

Solid waste management (SWM) is a major problem for many urban local bodies (ULBs) in India,
where urbanization, industrialization and economic growth have resulted in increased municipal
solid waste (MSW) generation per person due to inadequate waste collection, transport, and
treatment and disposal facility.
India generates over 150,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) per day, with
Mumbai being the world’s fifth most wasteful city. Yet, only 83% of waste is collected and less
than 30% is treated.
Municipal solid waste management (MSWM) is a critical element towards sustainable
metropolitan development. It comprises segregation, storage, collection, relocation, carry-age,
processing, and disposal of solid waste to minimize its adverse impact on environment.
Unmanaged MSW becomes a factor for propagation of innumerable ailments.

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Challenges to effective SWM Student Notes:
• Segregation: There is no organized and scientifically planned segregation of MSW either at
household level or at community bin. Sorting of waste, is mostly accomplished by
unorganized sector and seldom practiced by waste producers. Segregation and sorting takes
places under very unsafe and hazardous conditions and the effectiveness of segregation is
reasonably low as unorganized sector segregates only valuable discarded constituents.
• Disposal: In India, almost every city, town, or village adopted unscientific disposal of MSW.
• Issues with Landfill management:
o Violations of rules with respect to the scientific requirements for the location of a landfill
and the mandatory security-set up like compound walls, CCTV cameras, firefighting
equipment and water tanks, and regularization of rag pickers .
o Occasional fires drawing on air quality and health. (due to methane production)
o Many Landfills have been functioning beyond the stipulated timeline.
o With the expansion of cities old land fill need to be reclaimed and new sites should be
identified.
o The demand for alternate sites gets entangled in the tussle between the Municipal
Corporations and the State governments as the matter rests with the latter.
• Processing Facility
o The composting and waste to energy plants run at under-capacity.
o Many of the new projects for garbage processing facility are stuck
o The facilities of composting of wet waste is not present everywhere
o Indifference of citizens/ Lack of community participation towards waste management
due to lack of awareness
• Characterization of municipal solid waste: limited source of information available about
waste hinder an appropriate solutions for the kind of waste produced for a particular
region.
• Characterization of municipal solid waste: limited source of information available about
waste hinder an appropriate solutions for the kind of waste produced for a particular
region.
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Failure of waste-to-energy projects: India is still struggling to make waste-to-energy project

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a success story. There is a need to import economically feasible and proven technologies.
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Apart from this, suitably characterized and segregated waste needs to be provided to waste-
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to-energy plants as per its requirement.

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• Lack of coordination among Centre and State: Such lack of coordination for specific
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action plan and poor strategy at implementation level by ULBs are main hindrance.
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• Urbanization and lack of appropriate level funding: Most of the landfill sites are running
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beyond their capacity in metropolitan cities. Inadequate financial support to cater to waste
management problem aggravates it. Due to financial crunch ULBs do not have adequate
infrastructure.
Steps taken by government
Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016
• Rules have mandated the source segregation of waste in order to channelise the waste to wealth
by recovery, reuse and recycle.
• Waste generator will have the responsibility of segregating the waste into wet, dry and Hazardous.
They will have to pay user fine to the waste collector and spot fine for littering around; the amount
will be decided by the local body.
• Waste processing facilities will have to be set up by all local bodies having 1 million or more
population within two years.
• Rules have mentioned about the integration of rag pickers, waste pickers and kabadiwalas from the
informal sector to the formal sector by the state government.
• Developers of Special Economic Zone, industrial estate, industrial park to earmark at least 5 % of
the total area of the plot for recovery and recycling facility.
Star Rating Protocol for Garbage Free Cities

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 • It aims to enthuse the cities with a spirit of healthy competition to improve their overall cleanliness Student Notes:
and allow multiple cities to be awarded the same star rating.
The major focus in the ratings will be on waste storage and litter bin.
• An online database was also launched in order to capture the progress of states and cities on their
SBM components, thereby enhancing the robustness and transparency of Mission monitoring.

3.1. Methods of Disposal of Solid Waste

Waste management is a collective activity involving segregation, collection, transportation, re-
processing, recycling and disposal of various types of wastes.
Different methods are:
• Landfill: This method involves burying off the waste in the vacant locations around the cities.
The dumping site should be covered with soil to prevent contamination. Suitable trees should
be planted to hold the soil (of shallow roots).
o Advantage of Landfills: If designed carefully they can serve as economical and quite
sanitized method for waste dumping.
o Disadvantage: Mostly unplanned dumping occur in suburbs and slums which causes
serious environmental and health hazards. E.g: release of poisonous gases, secretion of
toxic liquid, destruction of vegetation.
• Incineration: It is controlled high temperature oxidation (burning/thermal treatment) of
primarily organic compounds that produce thermal energy, CO2 and water.
o Advantages: Useful to deal with large quantities of organic hazardous waste and
produces electricity.
o Disadvantages: The installation is expensive (high cost of equipment and skilled
operators) and Generates ash and toxic gases (HCL, CO, SO2).
• Other Thermal Methods
o Pyrolysis: In this process the solid is converted in to liquid state and liquid is converted
in to gas. These products of treatment can then be used for the production of energy.
o Gasification: The material to be treated is directly converted in to SynGas (synthetic gas)
which has hydrogen and carbon dioxide as its components.
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Bioremediation: Bioremediation is the use of living organisms, primarily microorganisms, to

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degrade environ-mental contaminants into less toxic forms. e.g.: Pseudonymous bacterium
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can decompose synthetic pesticide.

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o Bioremediation techniques are more economical than traditional methods and

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pollutants can be treated on site, thus reducing exposure risks for personnel.
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Sludge Management in India

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• Nearly 80 % of the sludge — a human excreta and water mixture that bears disease-carrying
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bacteria and pathogens — remains untreated and is dumped into drains, lakes or rivers, posing a
serious threat to safe and healthy living.
• As per the 2011 Socio Economic and Caste Census, 1,82,505 households in rural areas are
reported as manual scavengers. They face serious health hazards due to absence of proper
disposal system or safety regulations in place.
• More than 70 % households with safe sanitation facilities are based on such onsite systems, and
in a majority of cities there are no sewered networks or sewage treatment plants
National Policy on Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (FSSM)
• To set the context, priorities, and direction for, and to facilitate, nationwide implementation of
FSSM services in all ULBs such that safe and sustainable sanitation becomes a reality for all in each
and every household, street, town and city.
• Enable and support synergies among relevant Central Government programs such as SBM,
AMRUT and the Smart Cities Mission to realise safe and sustainable sanitation for all at the
earliest, possibly by the year 2019.
• Mitigate gender-based sanitation insecurity directly related to FSSM, reducing the experience of
health burdens, structural violence, and promote involvement of both genders in the planning
for and design of sanitation infrastructure.

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 • Define the roles and responsibilities of various government entities and agencies, and of other Student Notes:
key stakeholders such as the private sector, civil society organisations and citizens for effective
implementation of FSSM services throughout the country.

4. Waste to Energy
According to Ministry of New and Renewable Energy estimates, the solid waste generated from
cities/towns in India has a potential to generate power of approximately 500 MW, which can be
enhanced to 1,075 MW by 2031 and further to 2,780 MW by 2050.
• Current Capacity: There are five municipal Waste to Energy plants operational in India, with
a total capacity to produce 66.4 MW electricity per day, of which 52 MW per day is generated
in Delhi. Currently, there are 40-odd WTE plants at various stages of construction.
Need of Waste to Energy Plants
• Problems of unscientific Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) disposal: Only about 75- 80% of the
municipal waste gets collected and out of this only 22-28 % is processed and treated and
remaining is disposed of indiscriminately at dump yards. It is projected that by the year 2031
the MSW generation shall increase to 165 million tonnes and to 436 million tons by 2050.
• Harmful emission from Landfills: Organic decomposition of food waste mixed with
municipal solid waste at landfill sites leads to high amounts of emissions which is also a
public health issue.
Advantages of Waste to Energy (WtE) Plants
• Net Greenhouse Gas Reducer: Methane is a greenhouse gas which is mostly emitted from
decomposing waste in landfills. WtE facilities avoid the production of methane while
producing almost ten times more electricity from each ton of waste compared to landfills.
• Resource savings and recovery greatly expanded: Metals left in the municipal solid waste
stream can be extracted from the ash resulting from incineration and the metals can be
recycled.
• 24*7 Electricity: WTE facilities, unlike wind and solar, are capable of providing 24*7
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renewable electrical power.

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• Landfill usage and expansion greatly reduced: Waste to energy facilities typically reduce waste
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volumes by 90%. Fewer and smaller landfills are needed to process.

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• Transportation of waste long distances can be greatly reduced with a waste to energy facility
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in a community, resulting in less air pollution.

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Challenges
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• Low Calorific Waste: Municipal waste in India is often not segregated properly. It has a very
high biodegradable (wet) waste content ranging anywhere between 60 and 70 per cent of
the total, compared with 30 per cent in the West. This gives our waste a high moisture
content and low calorific value. In Delhi, for example, only 12 per cent of the waste can be
thermally treated through incineration technologies.
• High Toxic Waste: Incinerators develop toxic ash or slag, containing heavy metals and gas
pollutants which are toxic (corrosive impact) and pollute underground water.
• Expensive power: Compared to Rs 3-4 per kWh from coal and solar plants, WTE plants sell
electricity at about Rs 7/kWh.
• Lack of Finance for Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) affects institutional capacity necessary for
integrated management of municipal solid waste, which requires investments for WtE
projects.
• Other Challenges include irregular and inadequate quantity of supply; non-payment of
agreed fee and non-marketability of waste processed projects, including power.

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Way Forward Student Notes:
• Improved MSW collection system: Separate collection and transportation of domestic
waste (including trade & institutional waste), inert wastes such as street sweepings, silt
from surface drains and Construction & Demolition wastes should be ensured by the
municipal authorities.
• Encourage Private Partnership in building WtE plants as recommended by Task force on WtE
(2014) headed by K Kasturirangan.
• Amendment to Electricity Act-2003 to include a provision for State Electricity Discoms to
mandatorily purchase all power generated from municipal solid waste at a tariff decided
through competitive bidding.
• Strict enforcement to ensure the waste is not mixed at the source of generation and
then that the handling of waste is in unmixed streams.
• Alternative to WtE Plants: Since WtE technologies are being phased out in the West, they
should not be allowed unless the waste offered meets the criterion specified by the Solid
Waste Management Rules 2016. Other option could be explored like composting and bio-
methanation.
• Role of urban local bodies (ULBs): Standing Committee on Energy report on Power Generation
from Municipal Solid Waste suggested for increased grants to states and ULBs to maximise
waste collection efficiency and also recommended to integrate ragpickers and kabadiwalas
within the formal system.
o Setting up of Monitoring Committee, consisting of representatives from all the central
ministries along with the representatives of the state governments and ULBs, to
coordinate efforts at each level, and suggest methods and technologies to be
adopted to make the waste-to-energy plants successful.
• Participation of civil society: Municipal Authorities should make concerted efforts to involve
civil society in managing their waste and motivate Resident Welfare Associations (RWA),
Community-Based

5. Plastic Pollution
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• A 2017 report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) pegs the amount of plastic
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waste generated in India at 25,940 tonnes per day.

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• India notified the Plastic Waste Management Rules in 2016, which replaced the earlier
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Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011.

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• As per the Rule ‘17(3)’ of the rules, each State Pollution Control Board or Pollution Control
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Committee shall prepare and submit the Annual Report to the CPCB on the implementation
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of these rules by the 31st July of each year. However, inaction on the states’ part made the
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CPCB approach the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to enforce the implementation of plastic
waste management rules by non-compliant states.
• The NGT in March 2019, ordered all states and UTs (except for Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, West
Bengal, and Puducherry) to submit action plans for implementing Plastic Waste
Management Rules, 2016 by April 30, 2019. The court had also said that failure to do so
would invite a penalty of Rs 1 crore per month.
• However, 25 states failed to send their action plans to the Central Pollution Control Board
(CPCB) by the designated date.
• Single-use plastics: Also referred as disposable plastics, are commonly used for plastic packaging and
include items intended to be used only once before they are thrown away or recycled. They have
a higher carbon footprint and are more resource and water intensive to produce.
• Single use plastics are the most challenging to tackle. Single-use plastics or disposable plastics are
commonly used for plastic packaging, accounting for 36% of 400 million tonnes of plastic produced
annually, and other items, grocery bags, food packaging, bottles, straws, containers, cups and cutlery.

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 Why single use plastic is a challenge? Student Notes:

• Difficultly in collection: Many times, the packaging is not effectively collected, ending up in landfills
and drains in the cities and these single-use plastic items clog rivers, other water bodies and finally
ending up in the ocean.
• Higher cost of collection: The design of plastics and plastic-containing products is often a barrier to
higher rates of plastic collection and recycling.
Recent efforts to tackle the Single use Plastics
India has pledged to phase-out all single use plastics by 2022. However, India’s efforts at piloting a resolution
at the fourth United Nations Environment Assembly for a global phase-out of single use plastics by
2025 failed in the face of strong opposition from the United States.

Impact of plastic Pollution

• Environmental Pollution: According to a 2014 toxics link study on plastic waste, it contributed
directly to ground, air and water pollution.
• Soil Pollution: Toxic chemicals leach out of plastic through landfill site, is linked to decreasing
crop productivity, impacting food security, birth defects, impaired immunity, endocrine
disruption and other ailments
o Poisoning Ocean: Every year, up to 13 million tons of plastic leak into our oceans, where
it smothers coral reefs and threatens vulnerable marine wildlife. The plastic that ends
up in the oceans can circle the Earth four times in a single year, and it can persist for up
to 1,000 years before it fully disintegrates.
o Air Pollution: Disposing of plastic waste by burning it in open-air pits releases harmful
gases like furan and dioxin.
• Health Impact: Plastic bags often provide breeding grounds for mosquitoes and pests thus
increase the transmission of vector-borne diseases like malaria.
• Bioaccumulation: Plastic bags are often ingested by animals who mistakenly taken them for
food due to which toxic chemicals entered the human food chain.
• Financial Loss: The total economic damage to the world’s marine ecosystem caused by
plastic amounts to at least $13 billion every year.
• Exuberating Natural Disaster: Encroachment and clogging of city drainage with plastic and
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solid waste often leads to suburban flooding e.g. Mumbai’s experience of annual flooding
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like situation during monsoon season due to water clogging etc.

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• Social Cost: The social damage continuously being inflicted is inestimable as every sphere of
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life get affected by it like tourism, recreation, business, the health of humans, animals, fish
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and birds.
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Challenges in addressing Plastic Pollution

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• Not prioritized by the state authorities- Waste management is the last in the list of priorities of
municipal corporations. Many States/UTs have not constituted State Level Monitoring
Committee (SLMC) Body to monitor implementation of PWM Rules.
• Lack of expertise- among the state pollution control boards and the dearth of
understanding of the scale of the plastic waste challenge.
• Presence of a communication gap between the state and central government officials.
• Poor response of companies/ producers- which are mandated to set up systems either
individually or collectively in cities to ensure the collection of non-recyclable waste. They are
supposed to submit their plans to states, which has been founding lacking till now.
• Lack of accurate data- Only 14 of India’s 35 state pollution control boards filed information
on plastic waste generation in 2017-18, as per CPCB. The states have been unable to gather
real-time data on its generation.
• Large-scale presence of informal sector- Over 90 percent of the plastic industry is informal,
thus trying to reach and work with these manufacturers becomes a challenge. It is
further compounded due to presence of illegal units.

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Way Forward Student Notes:
• The Centre and state
should conduct Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 (as amended in 2018)
awareness • Defines minimum thickness of plastic carry bags i.e. 50
programmes and microns. This would increase the cost and the tendency to
capacity building provide free carry bags would come down.
exercises to educate • Responsibility of different stakeholders-
state-level officials to o Local Bodies- Gram sabha will implement in rural areas.
carry out necessary o Producers and Brand owners- have extended producer
measures to segregate responsibility
plastic and dispose it. o Waste Generator- shall segregate and store their waste as
per Solid Waste Management Rules, and handover
o To manage plastic
segregated wastes to authorized waste disposal facilities
waste, it is
o Street Vendor- Not to provide such carry bags or fine
imperative for would be imposed. Only the registered shopkeepers on
states to devise payment of a registration fee to local bodies would be
plans based on allowed to give out plastic carry bags on charge.
real-time targets o Producers- are to keep a record of their vendors to whom
and have they have supplied raw materials for manufacturing.
companies and • Promote the use of plastic for road construction or energy
plastic recovery.
manufacturers on in • A Central Registration System for the registration of the
the loop. The producer/ importer/ owner.
informal sector • Phasing out of Multi-layered Plastic (MLP) that are “non-
needs to be given recyclable or non-energy recoverable or have no alternate use”.
proper recognition,
including adequate space, access to waste, storage and recognised plastic collection
centres. States should plan to incentivise the informal sector to collect single-use plastic
and other plastics
which have low or
no value, so that
they get properly
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disposed of.
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o For use of
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alternatives to
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plastics, consumer
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awareness
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campaigns need to
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be devised. Further,
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the alternatives
should be made
available at lower
prices for
consumers to move
away from plastics.
For this, alternative
industries should
be promoted so as
to reduce their
prices.
o A multi-
stakeholder action
plan should be put
in place by the
states to consider

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 reduction, focus on low value or no value of plastics and include the informal sector, Student Notes:
enabling them to become entrepreneurs. The State Urban Development Authorities
should incorporate PWM Rules, 2016 in Municipal Byelaws for its effective
implementation.
• Enacting strong policies that push for a more circular model of design and production of
plastics, for achieving India’s commitment to eliminate all single-use plastic in the country
by 2022.
• Encouraging Public-private partnerships and voluntary agreements as an alternatives to
bans as it would allow citizens time to change their consumption patterns and provide an
opportunity for affordable and eco-friendly alternatives.
• Exploring Alternative like biodegradable materials such as reused cotton or paper, jute bags,
casein (main protein in milk) which can be used to make a biodegradable material for use in
insulation, packaging and other products.

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6. E-Waste Student Notes:

E-Waste refers to all items of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and its parts that have
been discarded by its owner as waste without the intent of re-use.
• The biggest contributors to the level of e-waste at present are household appliances such as
irons, vacuum cleaners, washing machines and fridges. But the rapidly-growing "Internet of
things" - internet-connected gadgets - is expected to generate e-waste at a faster rate, as
connectivity becomes embedded into everyday items.
• According to a UN
E-Waste management in India
report, the 50 million
• The government passed the first law on e-waste management
tonnes of e-waste in 2011, based on Extended Producer Responsibility. However,
generated every year it did not set collection targets
will more than double • Thereafter, the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016 were
to 110 million tonnes by enacted in supersession of the 2011 Rules.
2050, making it the o A manufacturer, dealer, refurbisher and Producer
fastest growing waste Responsibility Organization (PRO) were also brought under
stream in the world. the ambit of these Rules.
• India is the third largest o PRO is a professional organization authorized or financed
collectively or individually by producers, which can take the
electronic waste
responsibility for collection and channelization of e-waste
generator in the world
generated from their products to ensure environmentally
after China and the USA sound management.
as per the Global E- • The E-Waste Management Rules, 2016 have been amended by
waste Monitor 2020. the Centre in 2018.
• The issue of electronic o E-Waste (Management) Amendment Rules, 2018 objective
waste is overlooked, as is to channelize the e-waste generated in the country
electronic items that towards authorized dismantlers and recyclers in order to
could be fixed easily go further formalize the e-waste recycling sector.
to waste instead, • India’s first E-waste clinic is going to be set up in Bhopal that
contributing to would enable segregation, processing and disposal of waste from
both household and commercial units.
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pollution and increasing

• International Best practice: In October 2019, the EU
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the demand for

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adopted new Right to Repair standards, which means that from

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components like rare 2021 firms will have to make appliances longer-lasting, and will
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earth elements, which have to supply spare parts for machines for up to 10 years.
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can have a damaging Producer Responsibility Organisation: It is an organisation that

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impact on the helps producers meet their EPR targets through various recyclers
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environment when and dismantlers.

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sourced. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): It is a strategy designed

to promote the integration of environmental costs associated
Issues with E waste with goods throughout their life cycles into the market price of
• Hazardous to human the products. Three basic objectives of EPR:
• Manufacturers shall be incentivised to improve the
health: E-waste consists
environmental design of their products and the
of toxic substances such environmental performance of supplying those products.
as liquid crystal, lithium, • Products should achieve a high utilisation rate.
mercury, nickel, • Materials should be preserved through effective and
polychlorinated environmentally-sound collection, treatment.
biphenyls (PCBs),
selenium, arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, copper, lead etc. These pollutants are not taken care of
properly, or they are taken care of by an informal sector and recycled without properly
protecting the workers.
• Environmental effects of e-waste: The toxic materials from electronic devices are released
into bodies of water, groundwater, soil and air, affecting both land and sea animals.

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 o Improper management of e-waste also contributes to global warming. A total of 98 Mt Student Notes:
of CO2-equivalents were released into the atmosphere from discarded fridges and air-
conditioners that were not managed in an environmentally sound manner.
• Low recycling capacity: Almost all e-wastes contain some form of recyclable material,
including plastic, glass, and metals; however, due to improper disposal methods and
techniques these materials cannot be retrieved for other purposes.
o Only 17.4% of the total e-
waste was collected and "Hazardous waste" means any waste which by reason of any
recycled globally. of its physical, chemical, reactive, toxic, flammable, explosive
• Dumping in Developing or corrosive characteristics causes danger or is likely to cause
danger to health or environment, whether alone or when in
countries: A large amount of E-
contact with other wastes or substances.
waste from developed
Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management &
countries is dumped into
Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016. deals with
developing countries
management of Hazardous Waste in the country.
impacting the environment the
An amendment has been done keeping into consideration the
health of the people there.
“Ease of Doing Business” and boosting “Make in India”
o Even with International initiative by simplifying the procedures under the Rules, while
treaties such as Basel at the same time upholding the principles of sustainable
Convention on the Control development and ensuring minimal impact on the
of Transboundary environment.
Movements of Hazardous Some of the salient features of the Hazardous and Other
Wastes, illegal shipment Wastes (Management& Transboundary Movement)
and dumping of e-wastes Amendment Rules, 2019 are as follows:
continue to take place. • Solid plastic waste has been prohibited from import into
Measures to Manage E waste the country including in Special Economic Zones (SEZ)
and by Export Oriented Units (EOU).
• Formal collection of e waste
• Exporters of silk waste have now been given exemption
by designated organizations, from requiring permission from the Ministry of
producers, and/or the Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
government via retailers, • Electrical and electronic assemblies and components
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municipal collection points, manufactured in and exported from India, if found

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and/or pick-up services. defective can now be imported back into the country,
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• Recycling e-waste: Recycling e- within a year of export, without obtaining permission

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waste enables us to recover from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate
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various valuable metals and Change.

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other materials from Industries which do not require consent under Water
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electronics, saving natural (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974 and Air
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(Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1981, are now

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resources (energy), reducing

exempted from requiring authorization also under the
pollution, conserving landfill
Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management &
space, and creating jobs. Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016, provided that
o The value of raw materials hazardous and other wastes generated by such industries
in the global e-waste are handed over to the authorized actual users, waste
generated in 2019 is equal collectors or disposal facilities.
to approximately $57
billion USD.
• E-waste Legislation: Governments around the world are developing national e-waste policies
and legislation that lay out plans or courses of action and indicate, in a non-binding manner,
what can be achieved by a society, institution, or company.
o India passed the first law on e-waste management in 2011
• E-waste data: Understanding the quantities and flows of e-waste provides a basis for
monitoring, controlling, and ultimately preventing illegal transportation, dumping, and
improper treatment of e-waste.
• Create awareness: on the environmental benefits of recycling among consumers.

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 o Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has initiated an e-waste Student Notes:
awareness programme under Digital India, to create awareness among the public about
the hazards of e-waste recycling by the unorganised sector, and to educate them about
alternate methods of disposing their e-waste.

6.1. Bio Medical Waste

• Bio-medical waste consists of any waste which is generated during diagnosis, treatment or
immunisation of human beings or animals or in research activities.
• It includes syringes, needles, cotton swabs, vials that may contain bodily liquids and spread
infections.
• COVID-19 has brought the need for extremely careful handling of biomedical waste into
renewed focus.
• According to a report filed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), India generates
about 101 Metric Tonnes per day (MT/day) of COVID-19 related bio-medical waste in
addition to the regular bio-medical waste generation of about 609 MT per day.
• It has been found that only 15% of the bio-medical waste that is generated is hazardous.
However, all the waste needs to be treated.
Challenges with COVID-19 biomedical waste
• Health risk: This waste has created new biomedical waste crisis and posing a health risk to
sanitation workers and garbage collectors. E.g. Over 40 sanitation workers have tested
positive for COVID-19 and 15 have lost their lives in Delhi.
• Lack of segregation: Municipalities pick up biomedical waste from houses, but it often has
other household waste mixed in it. This decreases the efficiency of the incinerators at waste
treatment plants as it results in greater emissions and unburnt ash.
• Guidelines not being followed properly: For e.g. Some states are not following the CPCB
guidelines on Covid-19 related waste and the existing bio medical waste management rules
further increasing the risk.
• Overburdened disposal Capacity: PPE are being used everywhere, from hotels to hospitals,
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railway stations to airports, crematoriums to burial grounds so, the disposal mechanisms
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available in the cities are not equipped to deal with this huge volume.
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Biomedical Waste Management in India

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Government had notified Bio- medical Waste Management Rules in 1998 under the
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Environment Protection Act 1986 which were later amended twice in 2000 and 2003.
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• In 2016 government notified revamped Bio-medical Waste (BMW) Management Rules 2016
as
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to enhance, widen and bring a comprehensive regime for bio- waste management.
Key features of Bio-medical Waste Management Rules 2016 (amended in 2018)
• Widened jurisdiction – The ambit of the rules was widened to include vaccination
camps, blood donation camps, surgical camps etc.
• Pre-treatment of waste: Waste generated in laboratories, microbiological waste, blood
samples and blood bags to be pre-treated through disinfection or sterilisation on-site in the
manner as prescribed by WHO.
• Phasing out of use of chlorinated plastic bags, gloves and blood bags by March 2019..
• Better segregation: Bio-medical waste has been classified into 4 categories: Untreated
human anatomical waste, Animal anatomical waste, Soiled waste and Biotechnology waste.
• Storage of waste: Provision within the premises for a safe, ventilated and secured location
for storage of segregated biomedical waste.
• Regular Training and Immunisation of all health care workers.
• Ensure proper Transportation and handling of waste without any adverse effect to the
human health and the environment.

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• Record maintenance and monitoring of the activities related to bio-medical waste Student Notes:
management.
• Establish GPS and Bar-coding facility at Common biomedical waste treatment facility.

6.2. International Initiatives for Waste Management

6.2.1. Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of
Hazardous Waste and their Disposal
• It was adopted in 1989 and entered into force in 1992.
• The overarching objective of the Basel Convention is to protect human health and the
environment against the adverse effects of hazardous wastes.
• Its scope of application covers a wide range of wastes defined as “hazardous wastes” based
on their origin and/or composition and their characteristics, as well as two types of wastes
defined as “other wastes” - household waste and incinerator ash.
• The guiding principles of the Convention are that transboundary movements of hazardous
wastes should be: reduced to a minimum; minimized at the source; managed in an
environmentally sound manner; and treated and disposed of as close as possible to their
source of generation.
• The regulatory system is the cornerstone of the Basel Convention. Based on the concept of
prior informed consent, it requires that, before an export may take place, the authorities of
the State of export notify the authorities of the prospective States of import and transit,
providing them with detailed information on the intended movement. The movement may
only proceed if and when all States concerned have given their written consent.
Basel Ban Amendment
• Croatia became the 97th country to ratify the ban, which was adopted by the parties to the Basel
Convention in 1995, to protect human health and the environment against the adverse effects of
hazardous wastes.
• The Ban Amendment prohibits all export of hazardous wastes, including electronic wastes and
obsolete ships from 29 wealthiest countries of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) to non-OECD countries.
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• It will become a new Article in the Convention and will enter into force in the 97 countries.
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• However, countries like the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, India,
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Brazil, and Mexico are yet to ratify the ban.

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6.2.2. Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure (PIC)

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for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade

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It was adopted in September 1998 and entered into force in 2004.

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• It’s jointly administered by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and
UN Environment (UNEP).
• It creates legally binding obligations for the implementation of the Prior Informed Consent
(PIC) procedure. It built on the voluntary PIC procedure, initiated by UNEP and FAO in 1989.
• Objectives:
o To promote shared responsibility and cooperative efforts among parties in the
international trade of certain hazardous chemicals in order to protect human health and
the environment from potential harm.
o To contribute to the environmentally sound use of those hazardous chemicals by:
facilitating information exchange about their characteristics; providing for a national
decision-making process on their import and export; and disseminating these decisions
to parties.
• The Convention covers pesticides and industrial chemicals that have been banned or
severely restricted for health or environmental reasons by Parties and which have been
notified by Parties for inclusion in Annex III for the purpose of PIC procedure.

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6.2.3. Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) Student Notes:
• It was adopted in May 2001 and
entered into force in 2004.
• It’s a global treaty to protect human
health and the environment from
chemicals (POP) that remain intact
in the environment for long periods,
become widely distributed
geographically, accumulate in the
fatty tissue of humans and wildlife,
and have harmful impacts on human
health or on the environment.
• It calls for international action on
three categories of POPs: pesticides,
industrial chemicals, and
unintentionally produced POPs.
• Key provisions: Elimination (POPs in
annex A); Restriction (POPs in annex B) &
Reduction or elimination (unintentionally
produced POPs in annex C).
• It requires parties to prevent the
development of new POPs and promote
best available techniques (BAT) and best
environmental practices (BEP) for replacing
existing POPs.
• It initially addressed 12 substances (known
as “the dirty dozen”) but now 30 chemicals
of global concern are listed
under it.
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• The Global Environmental

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Facility (GEF) is the designated

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interim financial mechanism for

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the Stockholm Convention.

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• The United Nations Industrial

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Development Organization (UNIDO takes the responsibility for developing nations and
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transitioning economies to help them implement Stockholm Convention measures.

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Major decisions at 2019 joint Conferences of the Parties to the Basel (COP-14), Rotterdam (COP-09)
and Stockholm (COP-09) convention.
• Under Basel Convention: Adoption of an amendment to include unsorted, mixed and contaminated
plastic waste under PIC (Prior Informed Consent) procedure and improve the regulation of its
transboundary movement.
o Establishment of a Partnership on Plastic Wastes to encourage member countries to manage
plastic wastes in an environmentally sound manner. The partnership will aim to collect
information on the progress in member countries efforts for reducing plastic wastes, raise
public awareness of this issue and advance other activities. The partnership will embark on its
activities after 2020.
o Provisional adoption of Technical Guidelines on Transboundary Movements of E-Waste and
Used Electrical and Electronic Equipment: The guidelines provide a list of criteria for member
countries in objectively distinguishing between waste and non-waste under the Basel
Convention when companies intend to import or export used electrical and electronic
equipment for reuse.
• Under the Rotterdam Convention: Establishment of a compliance mechanism to assist Parties to
identify and address gaps in complying with the Convention, with the aim of ensuring that

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 governments have the information they need about hazardous chemicals to assess the risks and Student Notes:
take informed decisions when importing chemicals.
o Two chemicals, the pesticide phorate and the industrial chemical hexabromocyclododecane
(HBCD) were added to Annex III of the convention, making them subject to the PIC Procedure,
through which countries can decide on future imports of these chemicals.
• Under Stockholm Convention: Listing for elimination of dicofol and perfluorooctanoic acid
(PFOA), its salts, and PFOA-related compounds under Annex A of the Convention, which obliges
Parties to eliminate these chemicals from use.
o Dicofol is used as a miticide on a variety of field crops, fruits, vegetables, ornamentals and tea
and coffee and is known to cause skin irritation and hyperstimulation of nerve transmissions in
humans as well as being highly toxic to fish, aquatic invertebrates, algae and birds.
o PFOA is a widely-used industrial chemical used in the production of non-stick cookware and
food processing equipment, as well as a surfactant in textiles, carpets, paper, paints and fire-
fighting foams. It is known to be linked to major health problems including kidney cancer,
testicular cancer, thyroid disease and hypertension in pregnancy.

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7. UPSC Previous Year Questions Student Notes:

Mains
1. Comment on the spatial components in urban solid waste management in the country. (2010)
Prelims
1. In India, 'extended producer responsibility' was introduced as an important feature in
which of the following? (2019)
(a) The Bio-medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998
(b) The Recycled plastic (Manufacturing and Usage) Rules, 1999
(c) The e-Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011
(d) The Food Safety and Standard Regulations, 2011
Solution: C

2. In the context of solving pollution problems, what is/are the advantage/advantages of

bioremediation technique? (2017)
1. It is a technique for cleaning up pollution by enhancing the same biodegradation
process that occurs in nature.
2. Any contaminant with heavy metals such as cadmium and lead can be readily and
completely treated by bioremediation using microorganisms.
3. Genetic engineering can be used to create microorganisms specifically designed for
bioremediation.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
Solution: C

8. Vision IAS Previous Years Test Series Questions

1. What are various techniques of recovering energy from waste? Highlight the potential
and challenges associated with Waste to Energy plants in India.
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Approach:
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Briefly, write about the Waste-to-Energy process.

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Discuss the various techniques of recovering energy from waste.

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• Highlight the potential and challenges associated with waste to energy plants in
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India.
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• Conclude answer by suggesting a way forward.

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Answer:
Waste-to-Energy (WTE) is an energy generation process wherein waste is treated to
generate energy in the form of electricity or heat. These processes generate electricity
or heat directly through combustion or produce a combustible fuel such as methane,
methanol, ethanol or synthetic fuels.
Various techniques can be employed to recover energy from waste such as:
• Incineration: In this technique, municipal solid waste, which is used as a fuel, is burnt
with high volumes of air to form carbon dioxide and heat. Further, these hot gases
are used to make steam, which is then used to generate electricity.
• Gasification: In this process, organic or fossil fuel-based carbonaceous materials are
converted into carbon monoxide, hydrogen and carbon dioxide. It is done by reacting
the material at high temperatures (>700’C), without combustion, with a controlled
amount of oxygen and/or steam. Then, syngas produced by gasification can be
turned into higher-value commercial products.

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 • Pyrolysis: It involves the application of heat with no added oxygen in order to Student Notes:
generate oils and/or syngas (as well as solid waste outputs) and requires more
homogenous waste streams.
• Bio-methanation: It is a process by which organic material is microbiologically
converted under anaerobic conditions to biogas. It involves fermenting bacteria,
organic acid oxidizing bacteria, and methanogenicarchaea.
The waste to energy plants has the capacity to produce electricity and have a huge
potential in India. According to the Ministry of New and Renewable energy, the solid
waste generated from cities/towns in India has a potential to generate power of
approximately 500 MW, which can be enhanced to 1,075 MW by 2031 and further to
2,780 MW by 2050.
But achieving this level requires dealing with following challenges:
• Low Calorific Waste: In India, municipal waste is often not segregated properly. It has
a very high biodegradable (wet) waste ranging between 60 and 70 per cent of the
total, compared with 30 per cent in the West. This gives our waste high moisture
content and low calorific value.
• High Toxic Waste: Incinerators develop toxic ash or slag, containing heavy metals and
gas pollutants which are toxic (corrosive impact) and pollute underground water.
• Expensive power: Compared to Rs 3-4 per kWh from coal and solar plants, WTE
plants sell electricity at about Rs 7/kWh.
• Lack of Finance for Urban Local Bodies (ULBs): It affects the institutional capacity
necessary for integrated management of municipal solid waste, which requires
investments for WTE projects.
• Other Challenges include irregular and inadequate quantity of supply, non-payment
of the agreed fee and non-marketability of waste processed projects, including
power.
Therefore, to utilize the benefit of these technologies it is important to ensure proper
collection and segregation of waste. Further, encouraging the private sector can help
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bring more efficiency and effectiveness in power generation through waste.

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Additionally, the participation of civil society can play a key role in waste minimization
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and better management through the implementation of the'5R' Concept: reduce, reuse,
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recover, recycle and remanufacture.

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2. In context of waste management, what do you understand by Extended Producer

Responsibility? Mention the challenges in ensuring its compliance in India.
Approach:
• Introduce by highlighting the need for waste management.
• Briefly explain the concept of Extended Producer Responsibility.
• Enumerate the challenges faced in ensuring its compliance in India.
• Conclude on the basis of the above points.
Answer:
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a concept based on the “polluter pays
principle”, where by manufacturers and importers of products take responsibility for the
environmental impacts of their products throughout the product lifecycle. The concept
of EPR has been imbibed in the E-Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011, Plastic
Waste Management Rules, 2016, Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 etc.

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 The EPR entails three liabilities on producers i.e. Economic (expenses of collection, Student Notes:
recycling and final disposal of products), Physical (management of products and its ill-
effects) and Informative (dissemination of information on the environmental properties
of the manufactured products).
Challenges in EPR Compliance in India:
• Identification of all the producers: The existence of an illegal market and lack of
mechanisms for verification of producers in India make it difficult to identify all the
producers who are responsible for management of waste arising from their products.
• Outsourcing responsibility by the producers: Plastic producers, importers and brand
owners outsource their EPR targets to Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs).
However, PROs usually do not physically take back a product and instead support the
process financially. Also, many PROs meet their targets by purchasing waste from the
informal sector i.e. individual rag pickers and major aggregators.
• Lack of mechanism to verify claims: There is no mechanism to verify the claims of
manufacturers of meeting the waste collection targets under the E-Waste
(Management) Rules, 2016.
• Lack of focus on the informal sector: Waste management rules primarily focus on
the initiatives on recycling taken by the formal sector even though most of the
recycling is handled by the informal sector. Further, it does not provide incentives for
informal recyclers to formalize.
• Economic viability and physical feasibility: Considering the low scale of operational
aspect of producers and users, it may not be economically viable and physically
feasible for every producer to establish an e-waste recycling unit or set up collection
centers.
Steps like integrating informal recycling with formal recycling, financial support to
manufacturers for establishment of waste recycling units, support by the PROs to the
urban local bodies in waste management etc. can be taken to overcome the above
challenges and boost the EPR concept as done in countries like Netherlands, Switzerland,
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South Korea, etc.

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3. Highlight the need to integrate informal and formal sectors for improved waste
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management.
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Approach:
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Briefly discuss waste generation in India.

• Enlist the weaknesses faced by the formal and informal sectors with regard to waste
management in India.
• Discuss the need for formal-informal sector integration by highlighting the
advantages offered by it in waste management.
• Give a brief conclusion with a way forward.
Answer:
According to the MoEF&CC, about 62 million tonnes of waste is generated annually in
India by more than 350 million people living in urban India, out of which 5.6 million
tonnes is plastic waste, 0.17 million tonnes is biomedical waste, hazardous waste
generation is 7.90 million tonnes and 15 lakh tonnes is e-waste. With changing
consumption patterns and rapid economic growth, it is estimated that it will increase to
165 million tonnes in 2030.
Currently, both the formal and informal sectors are engaged in waste management.
However, both sectors face certain weaknesses, including:

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 • Formal sector: Municipalities and private (formal) service providers do not have the Student Notes:
required financial and organizational capacities for carrying out overall collection of
waste, recycling and environmentally sound disposal at landfills through
mechanization and highly capital-intensive equipment.
• Informal sector:
o Security: Issues of harassment by the police while transporting recyclables, lack
of secure access to buyers of recyclables etc. are common in the informal sector.
o Work related issues: These include problems like lack of capital, price
fluctuations, difficulty in getting high quality recyclables due to non-segregation
by waste generators etc.
o Health issues: Workers in the informal sector face health problems due to
unsanitary work conditions, exposure to hazardous, allergic and infectious
components of waste etc.
o Social disadvantage: Informal workers have limited general business
knowledge, and are often faced with issues such as low social status, lack of
support from the local governments etc.
In this context, there is a dire need to integrate formal and informal sectors of waste
management in India. Integration would help in the following ways:
• Ensure security to workers in the informal sector: Integration could make working
in the sector secure with considerations towards workers’ health and occupational
safety. It may also prevent them from the vagaries of price fluctuations and would
positively impact their standard of living and their mental and physical well-being.
• Expansion of knowledge base of the informal sector: Integration would help expand
informal workers’ knowledge via training about general business, policy changes,
relevant government health insurance schemes etc.
• Ensure social recognition for the informal sector: It would ensure that the
contribution of the informal sector to the society is recognized and the workers are
legally permitted by state municipalities to collect, segregate and sell waste from
garbage dumps across the country. This reduces the scope of targeting and
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harassment under Indian laws and otherwise.

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• Lower management cost for municipalities: The informal sector plays a key role in
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recovery of recyclables in both urban and rural areas, thus, integration would reduce
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the overall waste management costs for municipalities. It would also reduce the cost
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of transportation of goods to recyclers or consolidators.

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The role of municipalities is critical in mobilising the informal sector and integrating it
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with the formal sector. For this reason, policy changes need to be brought in. For
instance, municipalities could provide waste pickers with identity cards and health
insurance schemes, support can be given through establishment of cooperatives or
SMEs, and provision of training for workers in the informal sector can be introduced.

4. Solid waste management in cities is impossible without destroying the periphery of the
city. Comment.
Answer:
Define Solid Waste
Problems associated with SW- disposal, segregation, reuse, etc.
Stakeholders in SW management- Municipality, people , communities
Solutions:
Garbage generated in households can be recycled and reused to prevent creation of
waste at source and reducing amount of waste thrown into the community dustbins.

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 Quote cases. Student Notes:
Four Rs (Refuse, Reuse, Recycle, Reduce) to be followed for waste management
1. Refuse. Refuse to buy new items though you may think they are prettier than the
ones you already have.
2. Reuse. Do not throw away easily
3. Recycle. Use shopping bags made of cloth or jute, which can be used over and over
again Segregate your waste to make sure that it is collected and taken for recycling.
4. Reduce. Reduce the generation of unnecessary waste, e.g. carry your own shopping
bag when you go to the market and put all your purchases directly into it.

5. Municipal Solid waste management is fast becoming a nightmare for citizens and local
authorities in cities across India. Enumerate the steps taken by various municipal
bodies to tackle this enormous problem in India. Can WtE (Waste to Energy) be a
feasible solution to this fast growing problem?
Approach:
• Talk about the status of solid waste management in India and the urgency of handling
it by showing the gap that exist between the waste generated and capacity to
manage it.
• Examine various measures to cater this issue
• Bring in pros and cons of the waste to energy approach and its feasibility w.r.t. India
• Provide some suggestions and conclude your analysis.
Answer:
• The rapid urbanization is changing the nature of solid waste management from a low
priority, localized issue to a pervasive social and environmental problem with risks to
public health and environment.
• Society is facing several challenges in managing the solid waste. These are:
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o According to an estimate, the land required for disposal would be 169.6 km2 in
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2047 as against 20.2 km2 in 1997.

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o Opposition by locals of landfill areas

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o Pollution – air and water pollution. Discharge of poisonous gases in the air and
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heavy metals into water bodies. It affects the health of people.

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o Poor management also affects other sectors – tourism, health, and economy
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overall.
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Hence there is an urgent need to increase efficiency and adopt better technology for
better service delivery and optimization. Following are the measures adopted by several
municipalities and government:
• Centre released MSW (Management and Handling) Rules in 2000 detailing out
methods of disposal.
• Centre has promised Rs 2500 crore for SWM under 12th plan.
• Many cities such as Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai have adopted the PPP mode for
SWM.
• JNNURM grants can be used for viability gap funding etc.
• Gujarat government has incentivized cities to construct segregation and disposal
sites.
• Pune municipality has gone for localised biogas plants and composting facilities,
door-to-door waste collection and segregation.
• With several court interventions, municipalities such as of Bangalore have taken right
steps for SWM.

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 However, still solid waste is an increasing issue. Several techniques such as incineration, Student Notes:
gasification, pyrolysis and anaerobic digestion are used for waste to energy (W2E)
conversion. Only bio-chemical methods (composting, vermin-composting) are
sustainable and feasible solution for this fast growing problem. Thermal processes have
several side effects for locals as well as for environment overall. Incinerators in Delhi are
consuming tones of waste to produce few MWs of energy and releasing poisonous gases
and heavy metals in the air and water bodies respectively.
India has unique waste composition and thus, requires several techniques at
decentralized level. Focus should be on the feasibility aspects such as
1. Nature of waste
2. Cost of WtE
3. Quantity of waste
4. Scale of operation of WtE
5. Government rules and role of private
6. Availability of technology
Approach towards SWM should be in the order of prevention, reusability, recycling,
resource recovery and finally disposal. Pune and Bangalore municipalities have adopted
best practices and have integrated rag-pickers in their process for environment friendly
disposal of waste. W2E technologies can be a part of the solution.

6. E-waste is the byproduct of our increasingly electronic existence. In this context explain
the problem of e-waste in India and measures taken to control.
Approach:
In the introduction explain how the consumption of electronic goods has increased
leading to huge e-waste generation. Then explain how e-waste is a major problem for
India due to its increasing amount, lack of proper disposal, low level of awareness, etc.
For the next part of the question, explain the measures taken to control it. Conclude by
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discussing what more can be done.

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Answer:
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E-waste is one of the fastest growing components of the municipal solid waste. According
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to a CAG report, India generated around 4 lakh tonnes of electronic waste in 2010, up
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from 1.47 lakh tonnes in 2005. This is because people are relying more and more on
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electronic goods. Mobile phones, computers and televisions are being upgraded more
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frequently than ever before.

The problem of e-waste in India is multi-faceted.
• E-waste contains metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic. Thus they are
a threat to environment as well as human health.
• Only about 6 percent of the e-waste is recycled, of which 95 percent is recycled
through the informal sector in an improper manner. Here the workers are most likely
to be affected by the toxic substances. They have little or no protection while
working.
• Moreover, many of these recycling sectors are located close to residential areas and
thus they are a threat to the local population as well.
• India also faces the problems of e-waste from the developed countries. In the West,
treating or processing e-waste is expensive, and smaller countries are running out of
landfill space. Therefore, they prefer to ship it out to developing countries like India.
• Most of the rules and guidelines issued by government are often not implemented
in an appropriate way.

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 Measures: Student Notes:
• The government has made Hazardous Wastes (Management, Handling and
Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2008, for proper management and handling of
hazardous wastes including e-waste.
• Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has published guidelines which provide
approach and methodology for environmentally sound management of e-waste.
• Separate E-Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011 have been notified. It
includes provision of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) which makes the
producer responsible for the entire life cycle of the product, especially for take back,
recycling and final disposal of the product.
• E-waste recycling can be undertaken only in facilities authorized and registered with
State Pollution Control Boards/Pollution Control Committees.
• Ministry of Environment and Forests is implementing a Scheme to provide financial
assistance for setting up of treatment, disposal and storage facility for hazardous and
integrated recycling facilities for E-waste on public private partnership mode.
While government has taken some legislative measures, it should also ensure its proper
implementation. Only then India will be able to tackle the challenge of e-waste.

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