Lok Sabha Question No. 450 (STARRED), answered on 2025-04-02
Subject: Solid Waste Management
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Smt. Sanjna Jatav

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LOK SABHA

STARRED QUESTION No. *450 ANSWERED ON 02/04/2025

## SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY be pleased

- †*450.   SMT. SANJNA JATAV: to state:
- (a) whether  our  scientists  have  failed  to  develop  concrete solutions  for  solid  waste  management  and  pollution  caused  by plastic; and
- (b) if so, the details of the corrective steps proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY & EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

विज्ञान और प्रौद्योगिकी तथा पृथ्िी विज्ञान मंत्रालय क े  राज्य मंत्री (स्ितंत्र प्रभार) (डॉ. जितेंद्र स ंह)

- (a) to (b): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT AS REFERRED IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (b) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 450 FOR REPLY ON 02.04.2025

## REGARDING SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

No, Sir. Indian Scientists have developed advanced technologies for solid waste management, including plastic waste. researchers, institutions, and innovators in devising technologies and strategies

(a) to (b): Significant progress has been made by Indian to manage solid waste.

- i. Various technologies have been developed for effective management of the solid waste. Some of these technologies are given below: -
2.  CSIR-Indian  Institute  of  Chemical  Technology  (CSIR-IICT) has developed a novel high-rate bio methanation technology  for  decentralized  applications  of  sewage  and organic solid waste. This technology is superior in terms of biogas and bio-manure production as it incorporates novel pre and post processing technologies required for the bio methanation of organic solid waste. This technology has been commercialized and is in operation.
3.  CSIR-  Central  Mechanical  Engineering  Research  Institute (CMERI) has developed a decentralised solid waste management  technology.  The  significant  features  of  the technology  include  mechanized  segregation  system  for biodegradable  &  non-biodegradable  waste;  Eco-friendly disposal of plastic waste through agglomeration process; Generation of bio-gas from organic waste and conversion of agro-waste into briquette. The technology has been
4. transferred to industries for commercialization.
5.  Indian scientists have developed a technology to recycle the Construction & Demolition (C&D) waste to produce a high compressive strength Glass Foam Bricks, which are offering a sustainable alternative to conventional building materials.
6.  A  robust  mechanical  separator  has  been  developed  to facilitate  the  efficient  disassembly  of  solar  photovoltaic (PV) modules, supporting enhanced recycling and sustainability in the solar energy sector.

-  CSIRAdvanced Materials and Processes Research Institute (AMPRI) has developed a technology for the bulk utilization of fly ash in the production of synthetic fine and coarse aggregates, which can replace conventional natural aggregates  in  construction,  promoting  sustainability  and reducing the environmental impact of traditional aggregate production.
- Institutes  of  Science  Education  and  Research Metallurgical Laboratory (NML) has developed a technology for recycling of graphite from spent Lithium-ion batteries for high energy
-  Indian (IISER) Tirupathi and CSIRNational Li-ion capacitors.
-  With  the  support  of  DST,  CSIR-  Institute  of  Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT) has developed an indigenous non-pathogenic psychrophilic bacterial formulations  and  composting  methods  for  accelerated composting of municipal solid waste and agricultural waste in cold regions.
-  Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has setup Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) nationwide, for sorting, processing and recycling of segregated dry waste .

## ii. Technologies developed for management of plastic waste:

-  Department  of  Science  and  Technology  (DST)  through Waste  Management  Technologies  (WMT)  program,  has developed and demonstrated a technology for conversion of  municipal  mixed  plastic  waste  to  high  quality  plastofuels for transportation and industrial heating applications. A  2-TPD  (Tonnes  Per  Day)  demo  plant  was  setup  at Vadodara. The plant is flexible enough to convert all kinds of mixed plastic waste collected from residential communities, railway establishments and industries.
-  Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology  (CIPET)-Bhubaneswar  has  developed  an  ecofriendly  technology  for  upcycling  of  different  grades  of plastics from waste electrical and electronic equipment to high impact grade plastics.
-  Recycling of plastic waste into tiles: CSIR-National Physical  Laboratory  (CSIR-NPL)  has  developed  a  novel technology  to  convert  waste  plastic  scrap  to  floor  tiles,

- interlock tiles, paver tiles, and roof tiles. The technology has been transferred to industry for commercialization.
-  Department  of  Chemicals  &  Petrochemicals  (DCPC)  has established  three  Plastic  Waste  Management  Centres (PWMCs) for effective plastics waste management solutions, to develop eco-friendly cost-effective value added  recyclates  and  to  establish  digital  demonstration facilities on plastic recycling and waste management.
-  Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM):  Government's initiative like Swachh  Bharat  Mission  (SBM)  has  played  a  key  role  in improving solid  waste  and  plastic-waste  management, in both urban and rural areas. In October 2021, government launched the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0 (SBM-U 2.0), with the overall vision of creating "Garbage Free Cities." Under  this  mission,  material  recovery  facilities  (MRFs), waste-to-energy  plants,  and  recycling  units  have  been created which have led to an increase in the solid waste processing  capacity  by  1,05,876  TPD  in  the  urban  areas under Swachh Bharat Mission Urban.

These steps reflect Government's commitment to bridging the gap between scientific innovation and practical implementation, ensuring sustainable  solid  waste  management  and  a  reduction  in  plastic pollution.

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