Circular economy at base of restoring planet earth

All India Institute of Local Self-Government (AIILSG) in collaboration with UNCRD, Institute for Special Planning and Environment Research (ISPER), and 3R Waste Foundation, organised a webinar on June 5 on ‘3R & Circular Economy for Restoring Ecosystem and Achieving Clean Water, Land, and Air’ to mark the occasion of the World Environment Day. The webinar was organised as a pre-event of UNCRD’s 11th 3R and Circular Economy Forum 2021, which is scheduled to be held in Moscow later this year.

Dr Kulwant Singh, CEO, 3R Waste Foundation, began by welcoming eminent speakers for the webinar. Professor Asit K Biswas, Distinguished Professor, Glasgow University, United Kingdom, started his keynote address by mentioning the need to rethink the philosophy of 3R and circular economy and go beyond it in view of the ever continuing growth in science, technology, and understanding of the global issues of environment and development. He first discussed why Indian norms involve provision of providing 130 litres of water per person per day, when the fundamental question of how much water on average a person needs to lead a healthy and productive life remains unasked and unanswered globally. He mentioned how Wales Water Regulator had suggested last year that all the water utilities of England and Wales should reduce their per capita water consumption by half by 2050 – reducing it to 71 litres from the current 141 litres per capita. A study done in Singapore says that a person needs around 75 litres of water per day to lead a healthy and productive life, and this amount involves water consumption for aesthetic choices as well. Prof Asit said that reducing the per capita water consumption in India to a level that does not impact health or productivity will ensure production of less waste water, as nearly 80-85 per cent of water consumption in a household is turned to waste. He said, “Waste water is a tremendous source of energy,” and his presentation elaborated on different ways cities have adopted to channelize the energy from waste water, like the city of Aarhus and Durham.
Dr Ashwani Luthra, Professor, GRD School of Planning, Amritsar, was the next speaker. He talked about restoration of urban ecosystem in the post-COVID world. His suggestions included working on hap hazardous urban sprawl by going for compact development, and integrated townships, with ecosystem city at its base. He sees the pandemic as an opportunity to learn, create and experience a better urban ecosystem with increased access for cyclists and pedestrians. Dr Anupam Khajuria, UNCRD Japan, presented her view on the topic ‘Role of 3R and Circular Economy to achieve clean water, land and air’. She said that recycling waste from other industries instead of sending it to landfills creates value and also minimizes negative environmental impacts. Circular economy design with new business models has the potential to contribute substantially to poverty alleviation and transition towards low-carbon and green economy. Moreover, she explored the idea of artificial intelligence as an enabler of the circular economy and using circular economy as a toolbox for achieving the numbers of SDG goals and targets. Her presentation talked in detail on the transitioning strategies towards New Plastic Economy, with reference to the example of Japan’s Resource Circulation Strategy for Plastics.
Rohit Kakkar, Deputy Advisor, Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation, said that some efforts have already been taken towards waste water treatment and recycling in some Indian cities. However, there is still much that needs to be done for all-round comprehensive development in urban India. He added, “There is no dearth of policies in India on waste water recycling and reuse, but the absence of clear, actionable directives from the respective states/ULBs is a big hindrance.” He elaborated on the guiding principles that the government is trying to work on to facilitate reach of waste water recycling and promote its acceptance among the population.
Prarthana Borah, India Director, Clean Air Asia, spoke on ‘Achieving Clean Air through a Circular Economy’. She said that one of the least discussed areas is the connection between proper waste management and reduction of air pollution. With rapid population growth and urbanization, annual waste generation is expected to increase by 70 per cent from 2016 levels to 3.40 billion tonnes in 2050. She noted that since effective waste management is expensive, it poses a major challenge for municipalities, especially considering that a majority of the municipal budgets are utilized for collection of waste in India. Apart from this, there is inaccurate calculation of the total mass of air pollution emitted by solid waste. Hence, it is also extremely difficult to measure exposure to air pollution from these sources, which could potentially help design relevant mitigation methods. She then went on to say that a world without waste is impossible. Thus, we must work towards reducing it and using it wisely.
Prarthana said that in our design process and implementation programmes, the biggest challenge is to consider circular aspect, and an integrated system which can connect multiple components of waste generation and recycling. She talked about citizen engagement in reference to a study done on Delhi taken as a case. The study highlighted the importance of integrating citizen engagement component in achieving circular economy. She was of the view that there is much that needs to be involved in India’s National Clean Air Programme, and we need better policy framework with circular economy and SDGs at its heart in fight against increasing air pollution in cities.
Dr NB Mazumdar, Chairman, International Academy of Environmental Sanitation and Public Health, was the next speaker, whose presentation was on ‘Practicing 3R for achieving Zero Waste Status.’ Traditionally, Indian society has valued the concept of ‘thrift’ in contrast to modern society, which survives on consumption, and is linked to economic activity. He said that the key is to simultaneously work on waste reduction and processing and recycling of solid waste. This will ensure the final residue set to be deposited in landfill is minimum, and it is essential for cities to have a proper land use plan. He presented how construction and demolition waste offers great potential for reuse and recycle. His presentation proposed two approaches to deal with plastic waste – utilizing the plastic waste for black top road making and processing into liquid fuel; and long term, in-depth R&D to find better materials to replace plastics and plastic packaging materials. Dr Mazumdar said that the concept of ‘zero waste’ in practice actually entails the practice of minimizing ultimate waste.
Other noted panelists in the webinar included Professor Sunil Herat, School of Engineering and Built Environment, Griffith University; Somesh Sharma, Expert, Environment and Sustainable Development Planning, IHS; Dr Harpreet S Kandra, Federation University, Australia; Dr Deepty Jain, Assistant Professor, TERI School of Advanced Studies; Girish Chadha, Editor and Publisher, India Waste Review; Rajiv Sharma, General Manager, Housing and Urban Development Corporation; Dr Gopal Krishan, Professor Emeritus, Department of Geography, Punjab University; and Dr SL Sharma, Former Professor and Head, Department of Sociology, Punjab University.
The webinar was concluded with an interactive question and answer session having the panelists discuss questions such as possible impact of circular economy on SDG 6 and the kind of horizontal and vertical cooperation that countries can consider for better implementation of circular economy development strategies.