Lok Sabha Question No. 2706 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-06
Subject: Solid Waste Management
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Hema Malini

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION No.2706 TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.03.2020

## Solid Waste Management

## 2706. SHRIMATI HEMA MALINI:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether almost all municipal authorities deposit solid waste at a dump yard within or outside the city haphazardly and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether informal recycling industry plays major role in solid waste management in the country, which is a flawed system of waste disposal and management;
- (c) if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the  Government  proposes  to  manage  solid  waste  through  formal  recycling industry which in turn will also provide huge employment opportunities to youths in the country; and
- (e) if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  initiatives  taken  by  the  Union  Government  in  this regard during the last  three years?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO )

- (a) As  reported  by  the  Central  Pollution  Control  Board,  there  are  approximately  3135 dump sites in the country out of which 37 are either reclaimed or capped. Further, there are 8 dump sites which are converted to sanitary landfill sites. To streamline the problem of solid waste,  including  addressing  the  issue  of  dump  yards,  the  Ministry  in  supersession  of Municipal  Solid  Waste  (Management  and  Handling)  Rules,  2000,  has  notified  the  Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. The Rules mandate the waste  generators  to  segregate the waste  at  source  and  hand  over  the  segregated  waste  to  authorized  waste  pickers  or  waste collectors.  As  per  the  provisions  of  the  Rules,  only  the  non-usable,  non-recyclable,  nonbiodegradable, non-combustible and non-reactive inert waste and pre-processing rejects and residues from waste processing facilities are allowed to go to sanitary landfill sites. The rules further stipulate that every effort shall be made to recycle or reuse the rejects to achieve the desired objective of zero waste going to landfill.

(b) to  (e) Substantial quantity of waste is being recycled throughthe informal recycling industry comprising waste pickers who collectplastic and other material from the discarded waste.This  is  a  major  source  of  livelihood  for  them  and  due  to  them  the  sector  is  able  to achieve very high collection rates,thereby increasing the efficiency of the waste management ecosystem as a whole and contributing to the diversion of wastes from landfilling.

To formalize the informal sector, the Rules mandate the local authorities to establish a system to  recognise  organisations  of  waste  pickers  and  promote  and  establish  a  system  for integration of these authorised waste-pickers and waste collectors to facilitate their participation in solid waste managementincluding door to door collection of waste. Further the Rules prescribesettingup of material recovery facilities for sorting of recyclable materials to enable informal waste pickers and waste collectors to separate recyclables from the waste and provide easy access to waste pickers and recyclers for collection of segregated recyclable waste such as paper, plastic, metal, glass, textile from the material recovery facilities.

For  proper  regulation  and  sound  recycling  of  plastic,  provisions  have  been  made  for registration of all plastic recyclers with respective State/UT Pollution Control Boards/Committees. Every Urban Local body has been made responsible for setting up of infrastructure for collection, segregation and processing, including recycling and disposal of plastic  waste.  The  local  bodies  have  also  been  mandated  to  create  awareness  among  all stakeholders about their respective responsibilities. As per the information provided by the States/UTs, total 1268 registered recyclers are present in India having recycling capacity of 7,56,152TPA.

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