All India Institute of Local Selg Government, in collaboration with 3R Waste Foundation and Urban Update, are organising a series of webinars on waste management. The webinars are aimed at increasing dialogue between policy makers, experts and the public on the ways of managing all types of waste in a more responsible and environmentally cleaner way.
The twentieth edition of E-Dialogue series was held on the topic ‘Waste Management and Climate Change’. Managing and segregation of waste is a big challenge, especially in the time of a pandemic. There are various policies and guidelines underlined for waste management and climate action but implementation of these provisions is not effective enough on the ground level.
To discuss this issue, Urban Update invited an illustrious panel of experts including Prof Sunil Herat, Associate Professor (Waste Management), Griffith University, Australia; Dr Ram Tiwaree, Economic Affairs Officer, Environment and Development Division, United Nations Economics and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP); Dr Suneel Pandey, Director, Environment and Waste Management Division, The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI); Dr Ashwani Luthra, Professor and Former Head, Guru Ramdas School of Planning, Amritsar; and Sajib M Mahanta, Research Ananlyst, Financial Inclusion Improves Sanitation Health (FINISH) Society India. The event was moderated by Dr Kulwant Singh, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), 3R Waste Foundation.
E-Dialogues 20.0 | Waste Management & Climate Change
Prof Sunil Herat started the discussion about circular economy approach which is being talked about a lot these days. He stressed upon the need to manage our waste, the volume of which is increasing every day. He added, “Managing waste and climate change through energy efficiency and using renewable energy can address 55 per cent of the emissions, the remaining 45 per cent which is associated with making products is ignored.” Applying circular economy approach to this 45 per cent can help in reducing 40 per cent of waste from this sector. He also talked about plastic waste management where only 14 per cent is recycled. Food waste is also a prominent challenge which can be tackled by various methods of circular economy approach. Talking about the role of industries in accepting the circular economy approach, he said that authorities have to show the financial side of the new method. Monetary incentive can only motivate the industries to accept this approach. Moreover, e-waste and disaster waste is an emerging problem in present time and are not considered when we talk about waste management.
Dr Ashwani discussed Amritsar’s planning in waste management where the authorities divided the city into 8 zones. Garbage collection vehicles are GPS-enabled to ensure maximum efficiency and the disposal is through methods such as pit composting, windrows, mechanical separators, waste-to-energy plants, etc
Dr Ram Tiwaree continued the dialogue by talking on condition of Asia-Pacific and its contribution to the volume of waste. He said that almost 43 per cent of the waste generated in the region constitutes plastic which is higher than any other sector. He added that almost 60 per cent of the waste in this region in low- and middle-income countries is openly dumped, which is also a big challenge. He also mentioned about greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and that Asia-Pacific contributes almost 60 per cent of the emissions in the world. Shockingly, almost 80 per cent of the GHG emission is from the cities where 3-5 per cent contribution comes from waste sector. He also reinforced the importance of 3R (Recycle, Reuse and Reduce) in managing the waste efficiently. “According to our study, if we process around 1 ton of organic waste by an Integrated Resource Recovery Centre (IRCC), we can reduce almost 0.5-ton of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, including other benefits economically”, he added. Better waste management can contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) number 11 and 13 of Sustainable Cities and Climate Action.
Dr Suneel Pandey talked about waste management and its importance as far as smart cities are concerned. He mentioned smart waste management for smart cities with the goal of constructing landfill-free cities which are climate friendly. Components of smart waste management will include smart waste collection and storage, efficient transport, efficient disposal, maximum utilisation, etc. He emphasised upon the integration system of waste produced so as to segregate and manage it in a manner that it also helps in the production of power. This power produced from the waste can add to the productivity of the city as well as aid in the implementation of development policies. He also suggested a second option for the cities which do not need extra power and suggested that they can use it to produce Refused Derived Fuel (RDF) used in industries. He also enlisted the benefits of having landfill-free cities in the form of reduced landfill fires, reduction in uncontrolled methane emissions, creation of green jobs, etc.
Dr Ashwani Luthra shared some insights of his city, Amritsar, in managing the waste through a decentralised approach. He discussed Amritsar’s planning in waste management where the authorities divided the city into 8 zones. Garbage collection vehicles are GPS-enabled to ensure maximum efficiency and the disposal is through methods such as pit composting, windrows, mechanical separators, waste-to-energy plants, etc. Dr Luthra said, “We have a vision to make Amritsar, a plastic-free city for which the plastic bags are banned but there are various challenges in realising this target.” He also talked about Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, which has become the second cleanest government university in India by adopting measures like the installation of solar panels and its efforts to become a zero waste campus. There are various committees and panels which look after the waste management, student clubs are constituted which provide a fine example of people participation. The methods and planning in Amritsar city present a good example of decentralised approach in waste management and climate action.
Sajib M Mahanta presented his part on a very important issue of sanitary waste management, which is regularly avoided. He said that this is a silent issue in the country, but it adds almost 1,13,000 tonnes of waste annually in India. He said that according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), incineration is the best method of disposing menstrual waste. However, the problem lies in the temperature at which these incinerators are used. World Health Organisation (WHO) suggests that the temperature should be at 100 degree Celsius and not fulfilling these criteria can result in emission of harmful fumes. He mentioned about a study conducted by him and his team examining menstrual hygiene and waste management in urban regions. The study found that around 68 per cent women used commercially available non-biodegradable sanitary pads which contain almost 90 per cent plastic, including plastic packaging, wings, adhesives, etc. Surprisingly, only two cities in India – Bangalore and Pune, have guidelines for segregating sanitary waste. He also suggested various solutions in the form of taking up circular economy approach and design based alternatives to the issue.
While answering the question regarding challenges faced by South-Asian cities in managing waste, Dr Suneel said that there should be a greater focus on the governance which is important to achieve the targets. Policy making, financial support and capacity building are some of the methods which are vital on the part of government. Dr Pandey also addressed the same question where he suggested putting a productive pressure on manufacturers to produce climate friendly products which are easier to manage. Dr Luthra reinforced his idea of adopting a decentralised approach while addressing the challenges. He also said that sensitising the public about issues like waste management is equally necessary as public participation is the most effective way to reduce and neutralise the affects of climate change. Sajib suggested the need to better segregate the waste at source which will significantly reduce the cost of transportation and
further segregation.