Background Fulbright Fulbright –Worldwide Government Program –USIEF is funded equally by US and Indian governments Fulbrights for Indian Nationals –Brings citizens of other countries to the US for Master’s degree or Ph.D. study at U.S. universities or other institutions. –Early-career professionals who will return to take leadership positions in their home countries. –Programs for recent grads, lecturers and distinguished professors. Including teaching assistants for Gujarati. My Research –India’s Municipal Solid Waste Systems –Working with TERI and TERI University –Case studies in decentralized waste management. –WasteLines.com

Municipal Solid Waste Management in India Garbage in Gujarat

Global Garbage India’s Garbage Content and Processing Collection Example

What is Garbage?

Garbage has always been and always will be. Something that is not longer of monetary or other value to you is garbage. However the actual material characteristics of “Garbage” have also changed over time Characteristics are even different from one culture to another and from one country to another today.

What is Garbage? Survey Where are you from? Would you throw this out, recycle, or sell this at home? Did you drop something on the ground today? Did you drop something on the ground this week?

What is Garbage? Survey Answers

What is Garbage? Broken TV

What is Garbage? Used Water Jug

What is Garbage? Cardboard Boxes

What is Garbage? Survey Answers

What is Garbage? Survey Answers from Wastelines.com Would you throw this out at home? Broken TV 43% said recycling One person from India said they would get it fixed A few said ‘Curb it’ Would you throw this out at home? Used Water Tub 90% said they would but this item in the recycling One said they would use it to make beer. Would you throw this out at home? Cardboard Box 87.5% said they would but this item in the recycling No one would sell it. Some would save to reuse again

What is Garbage? India has a robust industry of scrap dealers, rag pickers, and informal recyclers. The monetary value that they give your used goods means that those goods are not garbage. Other parts of the world like the United States, this is not the case.

Country Comparison From Waste to Resource

Country Comparison Per capita India is a very small producer of waste. In total waste produced, India is in the top five in the world. India’s total waste produced as well as the per capita waste generated is likely to increase. World records for waste only as good as the countries’ internal reporting. In this chart the numbers are derived from many different sources and can vary up to three years.

Municipal Waste –India has an estimated municipal waste market of 570 million Euros. –US has about 43 billion –China has about 26 billion Recycling Industry India is a major end point for E-Waste Alang Ship-breaking port is the biggest in Asia India is also the largest used plastic recycling market in Asia The Waste Market

Garbage in India

Municipal Solid Waste in India Districts and states are responsible for their own collection and tracking of msw. Disparity in the quality of research and service Ministries differ from one another. An improvement in this recording is continually cited as necessary for the overall improvement of waste management. ‘Garbage’ leaves the waste stream before being collected.

Municipal Solid Waste in India How Much Garbage is Produced in India? Over 55 Million Tonnes per (1.5 Lakhs per day) Ministry of New and Renewable Energy 67.5 million Tonnes per year From Waste to Resource

Municipal Solid Waste in India Growth Trends –Correlation between Per Capita Economic Growth and Waste Generation –India’s Waste is Increasing “Before it was better, but when people started using plastic bags they didn’t have any value and they didn’t care where they left it…people are still having the bad habits and the amount of garbage overall is increasing…” Correlation between per capita growth and waste generation 1-1.5% increase (MoUD)

1986 Environmental Protection and Amendments 1989 Hazardous wastes management and handling rules, manufacture storage and import of hazardous chemicals rules 1992 National environmental tribunal bill 1995 The national environment tribunal act 1996 Chemical Accidents Rules 1998 Bio-medical waste rules 1999 Recycled plastic manufactured and usage rules 1999 Solid waste management in Class-1 cities in India - guidelines by supreme court of India 2000 Municipal solid waste rules of MSW Rule 2000, amended in Ozone depleting substances (regulation) Rules 2001 Batteries (management and handling) rules 2002 Bureau of Energy Efficiency 2003 Corporate responsibility for environmental protection charter (CREP), "which encourages companies to go beyond existing regulations, undertake reduction of waste production and adopt clean technologies (Under review) E-waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2010 National Laws

–Most of the waste (50-70%) is organic. Informal Recycling Developing Economy that is consuming less packaged foods and disposable goods As the country’s GDP increases this is likely to change –Waste in India is wet Organic Climate Collection Practices What’s in Your Garbage? National Contents of Waste

National Contents of Waste

Challenges to Processing Waste in India

Moisture Low Calorific Content Informal/Formal Transportation and Maintenance Challenges to Processing

Processing Methods processDescriptionRequirementsChallenges Incineration and RDF Thermal energy generation Dry/synthetic goods, water Garbage is wet, caloric content too low BiomethanizationTurning organic waste into gas Composting material, Lots of agricultural input Onsite generation, technology CompostingNon-meat food to soil & fertilizer Land, trees, sometimes worms Space, market, Public ignorance LandfillGather waste together in one controlled location Sanitary Conditions require high-tech engineering Open dumping, Lack of facility and space, overuse

Air pollution Water pollution Disposal of ash and other by- products Water Health, safety, and odor impacts Disincentives for waste reduction Disincentives for recycling Pollution Concerns

Informal Recycling Industry Higher Re-Use and recycling rate Value of the ‘Garbage’ increases Regulation –Environment –Labor

Survey conducted in Bangalore by the Biodiversity Conservation India Pvt Ltd found that while 65% had seen others throwing garbage on the road, 86% clamed not to have thrown any themselves Dropping garbage on the street causes problems Cost of collection increases Clogged waterways and sewage systems Encourages pests and mosquito growth Waste decreases in value Collection and Disposal Garbage on the street

Don’t mix wet and dry waste Create Sanitary Conditions for Collectors and Ragpickers Local Infrastructure Segregation

Land area of 9.53 sq kms, over 113,000 residents and 9 slum colonies Self-Employed Women’s Association – Shri Karya Siddhi Kargal Kam Mahila Sewa Sahkri Mandli’ - a cooperative of women rag pickers and operates across AMC. Vishnu Khadi Co-operative Society. Vejalpur complies with the MSW rules of providing a standard set of practices, a good level of segregation, accountability and working with the local rag-pickers. Most functioning systems in India will probably end up looking something like this, with a mix of decentralized and centralized collection. Vejalpur, Ahmedabad Solid Waste Management in India Cities (Ed. Darshini Mahadevia and Jeanne M. Wolfe) Concept Publishing Company, 2008 New Delhi. Chapter 9.

Benefits –Community Level Local Support Avoid Inefficiencies of transport and collection –Basic Technology and Processing Smaller impact on environment Shortfalls –Land Requirements –Employment Changes –Regulation –Cost Dumping Decentralized Waste Management

What Does the Future Hold?

Rachel Leven Website: Twitter: TheDump Contact Information