Extent of waste generation: 62 million tonnes of waste is generated annually in the country at present, out of which 5.6 million tonnes is plastic waste, 0.17 million tonnes is biomedical waste, hazardous waste generation is 7.90 million tonnes per annum and 15 lakh tonnes is e-waste. Only about 75-80% of the municipal waste gets collected and only 22-28 % of this waste is processed and treated. There is tremendous scope for enhancing resource efficiency with the move towards recycling and circular economy.
Natural resources form the backbone of any economic development. Resources not only help in meeting our basic needs, but also fulfill human aspirations for a better quality of life and higher standards of living. The recent upsurge in economic growth and mindless consumerism has fuelled the demand for various natural resources enormously, thus exerting pressures on the environment and raising sustainability concerns. Enhancing resource efficiency and promoting the use of secondary raw
materials has emerged as a strategy for ensuring the potential trade-off between growth and environmental well-being.
Sustainable development was a key theme of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm in 1972. It encompassed the theme of environment and economic sustainability. Using resources efficiently was also emphasized on World Summit on Sustainable development in 2002.
Waste management in India: E-waste management frameworks in India have developed over the years from different rules on the subject of waste. These include the Hazardous Waste Management and Handling Rules, 2003 amended in 2008. E-waste was specifically included in the waste and any person who wanted to process or recycle the same had to register with the Central Pollution Control Board. Considering the growing concern specifically in e-waste, the Government came up with guidelines around the Environmentally Sound management of e-waste in 2008 which led to the advent of the e-waste management and handling rules, 2011.
Polluter pays principle: The rules were revised to the present day e-waste management rules, 2016. Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) was made a cornerstone of the rules which emanates from the sustainable development principle of ‘Polluter pays’.
JIVAN: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the “Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN (Jaiv Indhan- Vatavaran Anukool fasal awashesh Nivaran) Yojana” under the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas on 28 Feb, 2019.
Background: Government of India launched Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme in 2003 for undertaking blending of ethanol in Petrol to address environmental concerns due to fossil fuel burning. The present policy allows procurement of ethanol produced from molasses and non-food feed stock like celluloses and lignocelluloses material including petrochemical route.
Objectives: Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN (Jaiv Indhan- Vatavaran Anukool fasal awashesh Nivaran) Yojana was launched to provide financial support to Integrated Bioethanol Projects using lignocellulosic biomass and other renewable feedstock. The ethanol produced by the scheme beneficiaries will be mandatorily supplied to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to further enhance the blending percentage under EBP Programme.
Challenges
Increasing inequality is leading to consumerism and wastage of resources.
Way Forward
2G ethanol sector is a nascent industry and oil marketing companies’ needs to support it.