We need Haste; no more time to Waste

Municipal Waste Management is one function which is entirely handled by the ULBs. Waste management in the developing countries need serious attention to ensure sustainable measures are adopted to maintain urban ecology

In what might seem a surprising piece of statistic, the South Asian Region generated the lowest amount of Municipal Solid Waste per capita among all regions of the world. Even on a gross basis, the region accounted for just 5% of the MSW generated globally. The OECD countries produced about 44%. A World Bank’s 2012 report on MSW Management across the world presents some interesting figures while conceding that the exercise has not always been easy due to the absence of reliable data, wide variations in the figures across regions countries and cities, and other factors.

South Asia’s average per capita MSW generation is 0.45 Kg per day, compared with the average for OECD countries at 2.2 Kgs per day. While the averages provide some benchmarks, the variations could be significant. In the case of South Asia the figure varies from 0.12 Kg to 5.1 Kg per day. The reasons for the wide variation could be many. While the figure is averaged out for the entire region, there are bound to be substantial variations across countries in the region.

Further, the report has found that an urban resident generates nearly twice as much MSW as a rural one. Economic status of the population can also influence waste generation quite markedly. Generally higher levels of economic prosperity lead to higher waste generation because of lifestyle choices determined by the ability to spend, such as we observe in the case of OECD countries, the most advanced of the lot. While with the numbers, it may be observed that at the higher end, the per capita waste generation in South Asia at 5.1 Kgs per day is much higher than the highest OECD generator who accounts for 3.7 Kgs.

While one can find more numbers and statistics on the subject, it is evident that MSW management is among the biggest challenges confronting cities today. While the low numbers in South Asia may sound comforting, the averages do not really tell the whole story. Cities are groaning under the increasing burden of waste. Rapid urbanisation accompanied by higher economic growth which the region is experiencing will accelerate waste generation and thus exacerbate the problem. Unless of course steps are taken soon to tackle the malaise.

The Debate on Waste Management is now widespread among policy makers, local bodies and citizens. The debate is, however, hampered by its almost exclusive focus on ‘Management’. It is necessary that the supply side, i.e., the generation of waste receives greater attention

Municipal Waste Management is one function which is entirely handled by the ULBs. Further this function is critical since any dip in its efficacy is highly visible instantly and markedly. Piled up garbage on street sides and the resulting foul odour are immediately seen and experienced, and often make headlines as in the recent case of New Delhi. Apart from the potential for public noise, inadequate management has serious public health and environmental impacts. MSW management comprises the critical aspects of collection and disposal. Collection is generally from the producers doorstep, kerbside or community bins. These services are sometimes contracted out and delegated. Efficiency of waste collection varies across regions. Generally high income countries have a higher collection efficiency, upwards of 95% although these regions spend a very small fraction of their MSW budgets on collection, maybe just 10 %. Low income countries on the other hand, spend almost their entire MSW budget on collection while achieving efficiency of just 50-60%. That possibly because they do not deploy technology intensive disposal methods like incineration. The waste is just dumped in remote locations. So the disposal cost is virtually zero.

Disposal measures comprise landfill most widely. Composting, incineration and recycling are adopted quite extensively in the more developed world. In the low income regions across the world, dumping is widely practiced. As opposed to landfilling, it is less scientific, less controlled and more random. Incineration is increasingly being looked at as a useful tool with better technology options. Incinerators can be set up close to waste generation sources reducing the need for transportation and resulting GHG impacts. They can be used to generate power as a bye-product too. However the process requires additional effort to segregate waste before incineration and has some time before there is greater public acceptance and less fear of creating pollution in the neighbourhood. Among the other disposal methods, recycling needs closer attention. This enables safe disposal of large amounts of inorganic waste while allowing value extraction. ULBs need to put in place awareness campaigns which will encourage citizens to segregate waste into different categories- paper, metal, glass, plastic, cloth, etc and deposit them in specified bins at pre-designated places like supermarket entrances.Recyclers will then be able to collect material for recycling in sufficient quantities from fewer locations to make the process more economically viable. Recycling however has some limitations. For example the material produced from recycled waste may have limited value and applications, as in the case of recycled plastic, compared to that produced from virgin material. Low commodity prices, as prevailing now, are a further threat to recycling where the prices of the material extracted may not justify the costs of recycling.

As seen here, the Debate on Waste Management is now widespread among policy makers, local bodies and citizens. The debate is, however, hampered by its almost exclusive focus on ‘Management’. It is necessary that the supply side, i.e., the generation of waste receives greater attention. Urban lifestyle with its focus on convenience and ease is clearly becoming unsustainable in many ways. The steeply increasing use of plastic is one such example where all daily essentials, medicines and foodstuffs are being sold in plastic packaging rather than glass and metal.It is leading to mountains of waste, much of it non-recyclable. Therefore there is an urgent need for intervention by all stakeholders. Citizens can imbibe new practices that mitigate the negative consequence of their new lifestyles. Urban local bodies need to engage actively with residents and seek their participation in community-wide programs that raise awareness, reduce the generation of waste and enable reuse/recycling of the waste which gets generated any way. Policy makers can incentivize recycling and encourage use of recycled material (lower duties for example). Other policy levers can be explored.

By 2025, the world will generate over 2 billion tonnes of waste each year against the 1.5 billion tonnes today. Undoubtedly, there is a lot that needs to be done if we are not to be buried under this mountain of waste.