Day 45 – Q 2.Can you suggest few working models to reduce and reuse waste in a city? Are you aware of some of the best practices for waste processing prevalent in few Indian cities? Discuss.
2. Can you suggest few working models to reduce and reuse waste in a city? Are you aware of some of the best practices for waste processing prevalent in few Indian cities? Discuss.
क्या आप किसी शहर में कचरे को कम करने और पुन: उपयोग करने के लिए कुछ व्यवहारिक मॉडल सुझा सकते हैं? क्या आप कुछ भारतीय शहरों में प्रचलित अपशिष्ट प्रसंस्करण के लिए कुछ सर्वोत्तम प्रथाओं से अवगत हैं? चर्चा करें।
Introduction:
Urban waste generation in India is around 62 million tonnes every year.
As per Global resources outlook 2019
- Resource extraction has more than tripled since 1970
- Resource extraction is responsible ~ 50% of greenhouse gas emissions and over 90 per cent of biodiversity loss and water stress.
- Exploding human consumption is the driving force for Anthropocene extinction (The living planet report, WWF)
- This calls for some working models to reduce and reuse waste in a city.
Body
Few working models to reduce and reuse waste in a city
- Waste to Energy plant
According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, there exists a potential of about
- 1700 MW from urban waste
- 1300 MW from industrial waste.
Why Waste to Energy?
- Treatment of waste resulting in
- mitigating the harm to land and water bodies
- Safe landfills
- Renewable source of energy
- New business opportunity with appropriate technology and government incentive.
- International expansion possibilities for Indian companies, especially expansion into other Asian countries.
- Success in municipal solid waste management will lead to opportunities in sewage waste, industrial waste and hazardous waste by development of new technology.
Biogas
Compressed biogas can be produced from various bio-mass/waste sources including agriculture residue, sugarcane press, cattle dung, sewage treatment plant waste.
Importance of Biogas
- Sanitation – Complement WASH program; Swatch Bharat Abhiyan reduce vector borne disease etc
- Reduction in emission of greenhouse gasses
- Reduction in urban air pollution
- Renewable source of energy
- Energy access – off grid connectivity
- Import of oil, gas and coal are expensive
- Increased income of farmers
- Local employment and entrepreneurship opportunity
- Can become rural development strategy.
- ‘Waste to Wonder’ Theme Park
- Circular economy – circular flows of resources through a combination of extended product life cycles, intelligent product design and standardization and reuse, recycling and remanufacturing. Eg: decentralised smaller units of steel plant.
- Plastic waste recycling – plastic waste generation is around 25000 tonnes per day (CPCB)
Some of the best practices for waste processing prevalent in few Indian cities
- Alappuzha municipality
- Biogas plants in every locality
- Piped compost unit within houses.
- Aerobic compost units in public places
- Bawana WTE plant – A model
- The garbage is burned in a controlled environment
- Remaining ash placed in a scientifically created landfill a part of which remains underground.
- Kerala Government has switched over to ink pens and steel cutlery to avoid usage of plastic products.
- In Kerala fishermen are engaged in not just finding fish but also plastic that either gets stuck in the fishing nets or floats in the sea.
- Recycling plastic into wide range of products from construction materials to threads and fabrics for the textile industry.
- Project ‘Tsang-da’ – It aims at sustainable waste management in rural areas of Leh district.
Conclusion
UNCTAD report on India – $280 billion additional economic value can be created by using circular economy by 2030. Models for reduce and reuse waste in a city can not only lead to sustainable development but also open new avenues to accelerate growth.
