Governance
Waste Management Initiatives
- 18 Dec 2023
- 5 min read
For Prelims: Extended Producer Responsibility, Plastic Packaging, E-waste, Battery Waste, Bio-medical Waste, Swachh Bharat Mission, Bio-remediation, Waste Management Rules
For Mains: Waste Management Initiatives and Rules, Government Policies & Interventions
Why in News?
In a recent written reply in the Rajya Sabha, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change highlighted the significant steps taken to tackle waste management in the country.
What are the Highlighted Initiatives Related to Waste Management?
- Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Mechanism:
- EPR is a policy approach in waste management that makes producers responsible for the entire lifecycle of their products, including their collection, recycling, and disposal.
- It aims to reduce the environmental impact of products by shifting the financial and physical burden of waste management from governments and taxpayers to producers.
- In 2022, EPR initiatives utilizing market mechanisms were implemented for plastic packaging, E-waste, battery waste, and used oil. This strategic move is anticipated to stimulate growth in the waste management sector.
- EPR is a policy approach in waste management that makes producers responsible for the entire lifecycle of their products, including their collection, recycling, and disposal.
- Waste Processing Capacity:
- Out of the approximately 1.5 lakh metric tons per day(MT/D) waste generated in urban areas, around 76% is processed.
- Since 2014, there has been a notable increase in the capacity for processing various types of waste, including solid waste, hazardous waste, bio-medical waste, E-waste, plastic waste, and construction and demolition waste.
- Solid waste processing capacity has seen an increase of around 1.05 lakh MT/D in the last eight years, particularly under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban).
- Swachh Bharat Mission for Solid Waste Management:
- Central assistance is provided under Swachh Bharat Mission for solid waste management including plastic waste management in urban and rural areas, as per scheme guidelines.
- The Central Government launched Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0 (SBM-U 2.0) in 2021 with the overall vision of creating "Garbage Free Cities", which would involve achieving the target that all Urban Local Bodies will become at least 3-star certified (as per Star Rating Protocol for Garbage Free Cities) covering door to door collection, source segregation, and scientific processing of municipal solid waste.
- The mission focuses on source segregation, reducing single-use plastic, managing waste from construction-and-demolition activities, and bio-remediation of legacy waste dump sites.
- Under Swachh Bharat Mission – Grameen Phase II, the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation has issued operational guidelines to the States and Union Territories which include solid waste management activities at the village level.
- Central assistance is provided under Swachh Bharat Mission for solid waste management including plastic waste management in urban and rural areas, as per scheme guidelines.
- Waste Management Rules and Guidelines:
- The Ministry, under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, has implemented various waste management rules and guidelines to ensure environmentally sound practices. These include:
- Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.
- Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
- Bio-medical Waste Management Rules, 2016.
- Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016.
- Hazardous and other wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016.
- E-waste Management Rules, 2022.
- Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022.
- Guidelines have also been issued on environmentally sound waste management.
- Guidelines have been developed for the levy of environmental damages /environmental compensation charges based upon the polluter pays principle, for hazardous waste, E-waste, and plastic waste.
- The Ministry, under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, has implemented various waste management rules and guidelines to ensure environmentally sound practices. These include:
Note
- The 'polluter pays' principle is the commonly accepted practice that those who produce pollution should bear the costs of managing it to prevent damage to human health or the environment.
UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs)
Prelims
Q. As per the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 in India, which one of the following statements is correct? (2019)
(a) Waste generator has to segregate waste into five categories.
(b) The Rules are applicable to notified urban local bodies, notified towns and all industrial townships only.
(c) The Rules provide for exact and elaborate criteria for the identification of sites for landfills and waste processing facilities.
(d) It is mandatory on the part of the waste generator that the waste generated in one district cannot be moved to another district.
Ans: (c)
