Lok Sabha Question No. 4110 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-03-19
Subject: Management of Municipal Waste
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Ramesh Bidhuri

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 4110

TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.03.2021

## Management of Municipal Waste

## 4110.  SHRI RAMESH BIDHURI:

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

- (a) whether the Government proposes to implement any scheme for scientific management of municipal waste in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the steps being taken or proposed to be taken by the Government to manage/dispose of such waste in the country?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (c): The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, under Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban, provides central assistance to projects from States / Union Territories, as per the guidelines of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban for Municipal Solid Waste Management. The State Governments and Union Territories formulate policies, plans and projects for solid waste management, as per their requirement, taking into account local needs, type of waste generated, availability of waste management facilities etc.

The  Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  and  Climate  Change  has  notified  the  Solid  Waste Management Rules in 2016. The Rules also prescribe to (i) set up of material recovery facilities with  sufficient  space  for  sorting  of  recyclable  materials;  (ii)  collect  waste  from  vegetable, fruit,flower, meat, poultry and fish market and promote setting up of decentralized compost plant or bio-methanation  plant  at  suitable  locations; (iii) facilitate construction, operation  and maintenance  of  solid  waste  processing  facilities  and  associated  infrastructure  by  the  local authorities and panchayats as per standards prescribed by CPCB which inter alia include:

- a) bio-methanation,  microbial  composting,  vermi-composting,  anaerobic  digestion  or  any other appropriate processing for bio-stabilization of biodegradable wastes;
- b) 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 Rules stipulate specific criteria to encourage the use of solid waste in the waste to energy plants. It has been mentioned that (i) non recyclable waste having calorific value of 1500 Kcal/kg or more shall not be disposed of on landfills and shall only be utilised for generating energy, (ii) high calorific value wastes shall be used for co-processing in cement or thermal power plants.

The  Rules  provides  specification  for  sanitary  landfills  including  criteria  for  site  selection, development of facilities, pollution prevention, water and air quality monitoring etc. The Rules also provide criteria for closure and rehabilitation of old dumps. The solid waste dumps which have reached their full capacity have to be closed and rehabilitated by reducing the waste by bio mining and waste processing followed by placement of residues in new landfills or capping.

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