Transforming a waste-ridden urban India, Pg6

Key Highlights:

• At COP30 in Belem (November 2025), Brazil emphasized waste management, launching the NOW initiative to cut methane emissions.
• COP30 promoted Circularity for inclusive growth, urging cities to recognize waste as a resource.
• Indian cities are estimated to generate 165 million tonnes of waste annually by 2030, emitting over 41 million tonnes of greenhouse gases.
• The goal of Garbage Free Cities (GFC) by 2026 is crucial for managing waste and emissions.
• SBM Urban 2.0 has rated about 1,100 cities as free of dumpsites, but complete garbage freedom requires adopting a circular economy model in all 5,000 cities.
• Construction and demolition waste generates about 12 million tonnes annually, causing significant pollution.
• The Environment (Construction and Demolition) Waste Management Rules, 2025 are set to be effective from April 1, 2026.

Detailed Insights:

• Indian cities face challenges in providing a clean environment, with many ranking among the world's most polluted, increasing citizen grievances.
• By 2050, with an urban population of approximately 814 million, the waste burden could rise to 436 million tonnes, posing risks to health, the economy, and the climate.
• Over half of municipal waste is organic, manageable through composting and bio-methanation, while over a third is dry waste, with plastic posing a significant challenge.
• Effective segregation at households is crucial for recycling dry waste through material recovery facilities, but entrepreneurship and market linkages need strengthening.
• Recycling construction and demolition waste can provide cost-efficient raw materials, but current recycling capacity is insufficient.
• States need to recycle wastewater for use in agriculture, horticulture, and industry to address water security, linking it to urban missions like AMRUT and SBM.
• Achieving circularity faces hurdles including ideal waste segregation, collection logistics, processing, quality issues of recycled products, and marketing challenges.
• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) needs expansion to all dry waste categories, and construction and demolition waste requires better tracking and integration with building laws.
• The Cities Coalition for Circularity (C-3), endorsed by Asia-Pacific nations in Jaipur, promotes knowledge sharing among cities.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Circularity: An economic system aimed at eliminating waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems.
• Methane Emissions: The release of methane gas into the atmosphere, a potent greenhouse gas contributing to climate change.
• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): A policy approach where producers are responsible for the end-of-life management of their products.