Delhi’s mounting waste crisis

  • May 16, 2024
  • Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
  • Category: DPN Topics
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Delhi’s mounting waste crisis

Sub: Environment

Sec: Pollution

Tag: solid waste management (SWM)

Supreme Court observation:

  • Recent criticism of solid waste management (SWM) in New Delhi by the Supreme Court, highlighted that over 3,800 tonnes of untreated solid waste in the national capital, posing threats to public health and the environment.

Delhi’s solid waste management (SWM) Status:

  • The city’s population is expected to rise to 2.85 crore by 2031, so waste generation could go up to 17,000 TPD.
  • Waste composition: 50-55% biodegradable wet waste, 35% non-biodegradable wet waste, and 10% inert waste.
  • Three municipal corporations, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the Delhi Cantonment Board, and the New Delhi Municipal Corporation, collect about 90% of the waste.

Processing Capacity:

  • New Delhi has waste-processing facilities at Okhla, Bhalswa, Narela, Bawana, Tehkhand, SMA Industrial Area, Nilothi, and Ghazipur.
  • Design capacity: Approximately 9,200 TPD.
  • Actual disposal: 3,800 TPD of unprocessed waste in landfills.
  • Challenges: Landfill issues, methane gas generation, leachates, legacy wastes and landfill fires.

MCD’s Challenges:

  • Lack of waste segregation at source.
  • Need for large land parcels for waste processing plants.
  • Public awareness and improper disposal habits.
  • Irregular waste collection services.
  • Illegal dumping and lack of coordination among stakeholders.

Efforts Needed for Waste Separation:

  • Scaling up processing capacity to manage increasing waste.
  • Waste management plan for expected population growth.
  • Biodegradable wet waste: composting or biogas generation.
  • Non-biodegradable dry waste: recycling or RDF for waste-to-energy projects.
    • The non-recyclable dry waste fraction is called refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and consists of plastics, paper, and textile waste.
    • This material has good calorific value and can be used to generate power in waste-to-energy projects.
  • Focus on scientific waste management and environmental mitigation.

Decentralization Possibilities:

  • Challenges with land availability.
  • Need for partnerships with neighbouring states.
  • Examples of decentralised waste management in other cities (Micro-Composting Centres in Tamil Nadu and Kerala and dry Waste Collection Centres in Bengaluru).
  • Integration of decentralised options with large processing facilities for comprehensive waste management.

Recommendations:

  • Ensure existing processing facilities operate at full capacity.
  • Construct new facilities to prevent untreated waste.
  • Learn from best practices domestically and internationally for efficient SWM processing.

Waste Management Policy in India:

  • Until 2000, we didn’t even have any law concentrating on how to deal with MSW.
  • Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000:
    • The 2000 rules were applicable to “every municipal authority responsible for the collection, segregation, storage, transportation, processing, and disposal of municipal solid wastes”.

Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016:

  • The Government has revamped the Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules 2000 and notified the new Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.
  • They are a set of comprehensive guidelines established by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
  • Key features:
    • Households must separate waste into three categories: Organic/Biodegradable waste, Dry waste, and Domestic Hazardous waste.
    • The informal sector, including waste pickers and rag pickers, is now included in the waste management process. This helps streamline operations and provides better income opportunities for these workers.
    • Manufacturers that use non-biodegradable packaging must have a system in place to collect that waste.
    • Local governments can charge a fee to bulk waste generators for collecting and processing their waste. People who burn garbage or throw it in public places can be fined.
    • Non-recyclable waste with a high calorific value cannot be put in landfills. Instead, it should be used for generating energy or co-processing in cement or thermal power plants.
    • The Rules for the first time prescribe the duty of MSW generators.
    • A Central Monitoring Committee is to be constituted to monitor the implementation. Criteria for landfilling and waste-to-energy plants are also provided.
    • The Central Pollution Control Board will have to coordinate with the State Pollution Control Board, review environmental standards, monitor implementation, publish guidelines and prepare an annual report on implementation.

Techniques of Solid Waste Management:

TechniquesDescription
Incineration method
  • This involves burning waste at high temperatures
  • The incineration method is suitable for combustible refuse.
  • High operation costs and construction are involved in this procedure.
  • This method would be suited in crowded cities where sites for landfilling are not available.
  • It can be used to reduce the volume of solid wastes for landfilling.
Composting process
  • The composting process is similar to sanitary landfilling and it is popular in developing countries.
  • Decomposable organic matter is separated and composted in this procedure.
  • Yields are stable end products and good soil conditioners. They can be used as a base for fertilizers.
  • Two methods have been used in this process:

a.      Open Window Composting

b.     Mechanical Composting

Fermentation/biological digestion
  • Biodegradable wastes are converted to compost and recycling can be done whenever possible.
  • Hazardous wastes can be disposed of using suitable methods.
Waste-to-Energy Conversion
  • This involves the use of waste as a fuel source to generate electricity or heat
Recycling
  • This involves recovering materials such as paper, plastics, and metals from the waste stream for reuse in new products.
Micro-Composting
  • Microcomposting ensures that the collected uncooked waste is decomposed scientifically and naturally to produce rich manure called compost.
  • It is a natural biological process that can help in breaking the organic waste down into compost.
Dry Waste Collection
  • The dry waste from domestic generators (other than bulk waste generators) is collected and it is separated into recyclable and non-recyclable non –biodegradable waste.
Biomining
  • Biomining is the process of using microorganisms (microbes) to extract metals of economic interest from rock ores or mine waste.
  • Biomining techniques may also be used to clean up sites that have been polluted with metals.
  • It is usually used for old dumped waste that remains in a partly or fully decomposed state with no segregation in existence between wet and dry waste.
  • This biological decomposition of the waste decreases the volume of the waste by 40%.

Legacy waste:

  • Legacy wastes are the wastes that have been collected and kept for years at some barren land or a place dedicated to Landfill (an area to dump solid waste).
  • This waste can be roughly grouped into four categories:
    • Contained and/or stored waste(contained or stored waste are wastes in tanks, canisters, and stainless steel bins).
    • Buried waste.
    • Contaminated soil and groundwater
    • Contaminated building materials and structures.

Source: TH

Delhi’s mounting waste crisis Environment Solid Waste Management (SWM)