Problems in Adopting Western Techniques

While the concept of producing energy from waste seems to be a panacea, the Indian administration needs to invest in research and development to come up with locally designed cost-effective solutions that would work better in the current cultural context. India has had eight failed projects worth millions of dollars in the last two decades alone, showing that there are country-specific issues that need to be understood before trying to replicate the success of China or Europe.

Two major issues exist specifically in India:

• Low calorific value of organic food: The higher content of organic food (this is 65% of household waste and 50% in municipal solid waste) is a reflection of cultural values of consuming more cooked food as compared to processed and packaged food. Although this trend could quite possibly reverse as food habits become more Westernised, today’s municipal waste is soggy and heavy in water. Organic food generates 30% lesser calorific value as compared to recyclable waste, and this has been the primary reason for the malfunctioning of WTE plants in India.
• High cost of construction: While (Waste-to-energy) WTE plants need to be highly regulated for pollutant emissions (otherwise completely negating the benefits of waste management) the high cost and scale of such projects are also an impediment to a decentralized set-up for successful waste management system in India.

Ways to Improve

• With Indian cities leading the way in India today, through source segregation and decentralized waste management system, the central government should create an appropriate national framework to incentivize and monitor implementation by the states.
• To overhaul the waste management sector and induce the necessary behavioural change, citizen participation and engagement is the key.
• Building appropriate institutional framework along with policy-level directions will help facilitate the necessary change.
• There are several NGOs, waste trade unions and experts who have become crucial stakeholders. A few well recognized people and organizations are: Chintan in Delhi, Swachh in Pune, StreeMuktiSangathan in Mumbai, Solid Waste Management Round Table and Hasiru Dala in Bangalore.