Lok Sabha Question No. 2591 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-06
Subject: Storage of Solid Waste
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Lallu Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No.2591 TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.03.2020

## Storage of Solid Waste

## 2591. SHRI LALLU SINGH:

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

- (a) whether the Government has taken steps for providing adequate space for the storage of solid waste for its potential re-use;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (c) 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,  non-biodegradable,  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.

Further, the Rules prescribe setting up of material recovery facilities with sufficient space for sorting of recyclable materials; collection of waste from vegetable, fruit,flower, meat, poultry and  fish  markets  and  promotionof  setting  up  of  decentralized  compost  plant  or  biomethanation plant at suitable locations; facilitating construction, operation and maintenance of solid waste processing facilities and associated infrastructure including the following:

- i. bio-methanation, microbial composting, vermi-composting, anaerobic digestion or any other appropriate processing for bio-stabilization of biodegradable wastes;
- ii. waste  to  energy  processes  including  refused  derived  fuel  for  combustible  fraction  of waste or supply as feedstock to solid waste based power plants or cement kilns;

The  Urban  Development  Department  in  the  States  and  Union  Territories  are  mandated  to ensure implementation of provisions of these rules by all local authorities. Every Urban Local body has been made responsible for setting up of infrastructure  for  collection,  segregation and  processing,  including  recycling  and  disposal  of  waste.  The  Rules  stipulate  specific criteria to encourage the use of solid waste in the waste to energy plants. The plastic waste invariably forms the part of solid waste. Therefore, for the plastic waste, the key technologies prescribed are (i) utilization of plastic waste in road construction, (ii) Co-processing of plastic waste  in  Cement  Kilns,  (iii)  Conversion  of  plastic  waste  into  liquid  RDF  (Oil)  and  (iv) Disposal of plastic waste through Plasma Pyrolysis Technology (PPT).

*****