Minimising the significant rise in solid waste through

strategy of zero waste management in major cities of India

-Aakanksha Malik

ABSTRACT

In a country like India where theres Increasing population, booming economy, rapid urbanisation
and the rise in the living standards of the people over the years has resulted in significant increase
in the solid waste generation. Solid waste can be considered as one of the global environmental
issues of today. To avert further depletion of global resources a system of sustainable consumption
and a strategic waste management would be required.Zero Waste is one such solution to
minimise the increasing solid waste. However, in order to minimise the solid waste, there are still
more endeavours that need to be accomplished for the safe and sustainable future. Although the
idea of Zero Waste sounds quite promising, it is indeed a visionary concept for confronting waste
problems in our society. This idea has been praised by several policymakers due to its nature of
3Rs(Reduce, Reuse and Recycle), as it causes sustainable production and consumption, optimum
level of recycling and resource recovery.This study would emphasise mostly upon the challenges
faced in SWM and how major cities in India might be able to minimise the level of solid waste by
developing a national zero waste strategy .

Key Words Sustainable Waste Management, Zero Waste, Solid waste management in India

INTRODUCTION

In a country like India where theres Increasing population, booming economy, rapid urbanisation
and the rise in the living standards of the people over the years has resulted in a significant increase
in the solid waste generation. Most of the urban organisations and state governments has regarded
solid waste as a major problem that has reached proportions requiring drastic measures. Due to
significant increase in population and pollution in urban areas and particularly big cities (like
Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata etc.) where ineffective waste management has led to serious
environmental hazards. Due to the above factors (population growth, industrialisation, urbanisation
and rapid economic growth) an increasing trend of municipal solid waste generation(MSW) has
been recorded over the years in India. Rapid industrial growth and migration of people from
villages to cities has caused the urban population to rise significantly (Kaushal, Varghese, &
Chabukdharan, 2012). Waste generation has been increasing annually in proportion to the rise in
population and urbanisation. The per capita generation of MSW shows a rising trend due improved
life style and social status of the people in cities(Sharholy, Ahmad, Vaishya, & Gupta, 2007).Theres
a continuous piling up of waste in the cities due to improper disposal in the landfill, since its not
sanitary will be hazardous to the environment. Hence landfilling might not be the best option for
solid waste management ,so itll be best for India to adopt zero waste strategy in waste disposal of
MSW. This method would not only decrease the amount of solid waste in the country but due to
proper disposal of wastes will make way to a cleaner environment.

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LITERATURE REVIEW

Background

According to a report by World Bank it is estimated that at present about 1.3 billion tonnes of MSW
are generated globally every year(1.2 kg/capita/day )although actual per capita rates would vary as
there are considerable differences in waste generation rates across countries ,states and between
cities. Researcher described
Solid waste mostly as an
urban issue (Kidani, 2013).
Whereas waste generation
rates tends to be much lower
in case of rural areas since
residents are comparatively
poorer, purchase fewer items
and tends to reuse and recycle
their products.India has a
population of 1.252
billion(2013) which account
for roughly one-fifth of the
world population. According
to the provisional figures of Census of India 2011, urban areas comprises of about 377 people which
makes 31.16 % of the total population.Also, India has 475 Urban Agglomerations (UA),out of
which 3 has a population of over 10 million (Census of India, 2011). This increasing rate of
urbanisation coupled with improper planning and poor financial condition has made Municipal
Solid Waste (MSW) management in Indian cities a challenge. Various studies reveal that about 90%
of MSW is unscientifically disposed of in open dumps and landfills, causing environmental
degradation. To overcome this a system of sustainable consumption and a strategic waste
management would be required.Zero Waste is one such solution to minimise the increasing solid
waste(Song, Li & Zeng, 2015).This concept has been already introduced in few cities like
Ahmedabad , Bengaluru , Pune etc. but proper implementation throughout the country still remains
a challenge.

Waste Generation

In order to transform cities into zero waste cities it is important to discover the reasons why our
society produces so much waste. Environmental ethics, resources valuation, human behaviour,
individual and social perceptions on waste and resources, social and environmental well-being,
economic development, conservation of global resources, technical improvement, etc are crucial in
context of zero waste management. However, very few researchers have tried to establish
relationship between those aspects in a holistic point of view(Department of Environmental
Conservation, 2013). As per Toolkit for Solid Waste Management (Ministry of Urban Development,
2012) waste is generated due to activities in which materials are no longer considered of value and
are either thrown away or gathered together for disposal.

Waste Composition and its Characteristics

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In comparison to the western countries, MSW differs greatly with regard to the composition and
hazardous nature, in India. Categories of MSW are as follows :kitchen waste, rubbish, commercial
waste, institutional waste, street sweeping waste, industrial waste, construction and demolition
waste, and sanitation waste.It also consists of compostable organic matter, recyclables (paper,
plastic, glass, metals, etc.), toxic substances (paints, pesticides,etc.), and soiled waste (like sanitary
napkins,)(Sharholy, Ahmad, Mahmood, & Trivedi, 2008).

ZERO WASTE management system

The concept of Zero Waste aims to minimise use of resources and maximise the ongoing benefits
generated by the waste of the society.It seeks to design and manage products and processes to
decrease the quantity and toxicity that needs to be burned or buried or that can harm the
environment and people in any way possible(ZWA, 2013).

5 inter-connected key principles need to be applied simultaneously in order to achieve zero waste
city: Behaviour change and sustainable consumption ,Extended producer and consumer
responsibility, 100% recycling of municipal solid waste, Legislated zero landfill and incineration
and 100% resource recovery from waste.These principles are based upon waste hierarchy, i.e. avoid,
minimisation and recovery(Zaman & Lehmann, 2011).

This method mainly consists of 5

steps : Reduce , Reuse , Recycle ,
Recovery and Landfill.

Cities implementing zero waste strategy:

Adelaide,capital city of south Australia
Stockholm, capital city of Sweden
San Francisco-for zero waste energy
Europe-Italy
United Kingdom-England, Wales
South Africa
Asia- Philippines; Kamikatsu,
Japan;Kovalam,India etc.

Zero Waste Alliance (ZWA) has worked with a wide variety of organisations and communities in
successfully developing and implementing the zero waste strategy (ZWA, 2013). In order to reduce
the amount of waste into the landfill every year, the best possible solution is to implement a solid
waste management based on hierarchy that give priority to the waste reduction through 3Rs (reduce,
reuse, recycle) program. To achieve this target, zero waste management need to be encouraged
amongst the households as a long term goal in order to wipe out waste and pollution in the
manufacturing unit, usage , storage and recycling of materials.
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DESCRIPTION

This paper will be a qualitative as well as a quantitate research .The trend of MSW generated in
each cities will determine quantity of solid waste in cities where this concept has been implemented
varies from the cities where it is yet to be implemented.While the surveying will try to examine the
challenges faced by SWM in major cities of India with a view to improve solid waste management
initiatives.Also how zero waste strategy has been useful or not in minimising the increasing solid
waste.

METHODOLOGY

The study will be conducted using primary and secondary information. Primary information will be
collected through household interviews, group discussions, physical observations and official
interviews. Selecting around 100 households randomly in any of the major cities(namely Delhi,
Mumbai, Kokata) to conduct a survey.A Structured questionnaire will be used to collect information
from the selected households. Focus group discussions will be held with groups involved in solid
waste collection(city municipality or NGOs ). Official interviews will be conducted with leaders
and chairmen of the community groups who are involved in solid waste collection.Secondary
information will be collected through paper reviews, government sites(MSW generated in each
cities)

REFERENCES

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Kidani, A. B. (2013, November 9). Sudan Vision Daily. Retrieved November 15, 2013, from Sudan
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Department of Environmental Conservation. (2013). What is Solid Waste. Retrieved November 12,
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