Lok Sabha Question No. 2733 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-08-02
Subject: Solid Waste
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Richard Hay, K. GOPAL

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2733

TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.08.2016

## Solid Waste

## 2733.  PROF. RICHARD HAY: DR. K. GOPAL

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

- (a) whether there is a serious problem in managing municipal solid waste in the country and that nearly 62 million tons of waste is produced annually, of which only 70 per cent gets collected and only 28 per cent is processed and treated and the rest piles up at dump yards and if so, the steps taken by the Government in this regard;
- (b) whether the Government is considering the scope of this untapped waste management industry and is planning to promote large scale industries to find a permanent solution to this staggering problem that the country faces;
- (c) if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  new  industrial  initiatives  being  planned  to  find solution to the waste management in urban/rural areas;
- (d) whether the Government has taken any concrete steps to control the waste generated by bulk generators of waste like State and Central organisations, Railways, airports, harbours, special  economic  zones,  pilgrimage  centres,  hotels,  gated  community  etc.  and  if  so,  the details thereof; and
- (e) whether  it  is  true  that  the  Government  has  announced  a  series  of  rules  intended  to compel a wide variety of groups to ensure that the solid waste generated in their facilities are treated and recycled properly and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## (SHRI ANIL MADHAV DAVE)

(a)  to  (c)  As  per  report  of  a  Task  force  constituted  by  erstwhile  Planning  Commission  in 2014, 62 million tones of municipal solid waste was generated annually in urban areas of the country. However, as per Central Pollution Control Board, in 2014-15, 51.4 million tones of solid  waste  was  generated  in  the  Municipal  areas  of  the  country.  Out  of  which,  91%  was collected, 27 % was treated and remaining 73 % disposed in dumpsites.

The Ministry has comprehensively revised Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling)  Rules,  2000  and  notified  the  Solid  Waste  Management  (SWM)  Rules  in  April, 2016  for  environmentally  sound  management  of  solid  waste.  The  SWM  Rules,  2016 emphasizes  upon  resource  recovery,  recycling  and  reuse  by  way  of  segregation  of  waste through involvement of the waste pickers and self help groups, channelization of the dry and recyclable  waste,  use  of  biodegradable  waste  for  composting,  vermi  composting  and  biomethanation,  utilising  combustible  fraction  of  waste  for  refused  derived  fuel  &  energy recovery,  and  permitting  only  the  non-usable,  non-recyclable,  non-biodegradable,  noncombustible and non-reactive inert waste and residues from waste processing facilities to go to sanitary landfill for minimizing the requirement of landfill sites. These Rules incentivizes setting  up  of  compost  plants  by  way  of  marketing  assistance;  promote of Refused  Derived Fuel plants (RDF) by mandating the industrial units located within hundred kilometer from the RDF plant to use at least five percentage of RDF as fuel, and waste to energy plants by facilitating infrastructure and market support.

(d)    As  per  the  SWM  Rules,2016  the  bulk  generators  of  waste  like  State  and  Central government organizations, railways, airports, ports, defence establishments, special economic zones, places of pilgrimage, religious & historical importance, hotels & restaurants and gated communities with built up area of five thousand square meters and above, in partnership with the local authority should ensure segregation of waste at source and channelize dry waste like paper, plastic, glass, metal etc. for recycling & reuse and utilize wet wastes from kitchen for composting or for bio-methanation.

(e) The Ministry has comprehensively revised all waste management Rules for environmental sound management of solid waste, plastic waste, hazardous waste, bio-medical waste and electronic waste and notified a new Rules for efficient management of construction and demolition waste during March- April, 2016.   The provisions of these Rules emphasize upon  resource  recovery,  recycle  and  reuse  through  extended  producers  responsibility  upon brand  owners  and  manufactures  to  ensure  collection,  channelization  and  treatment  of discarded waste material.

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