Draft Report

Table of Contents

Table of Contents 1

List of Abbreviations 2

List of Tables 3

1.0 Introduction 4

1.1 Municipal Solid Waste Management 4

1.4 Aim and Objectives 6

1.5 Methodology Followed 7

1.6 Structure of the Report 8

2. Municipal Solid Waste Management and Best Practices 9

2.1 History of Municipal Solid Waste Management in India 9

2.2 Components of Municipal Solid Waste Management 10

2.3 Best Practices in Municipal Solid Waste Management 11

2.4 Conclusions 23

3. Waste Management Schemes in India 25

3.1 Introduction 25

3.2 Technologies Available for Municipal Waste Disposal 25

3.4 Decentralised Waste Management and Composting – Bangalore 30

3.5 Bio-Methanation Plant: Lucknow 33

3.6 Bio-Methanation Facility – Nagpur 36

3.7 Waste-to-Energy Plant: Vijaywada 38

3.8 Pelletisation Plant – Hyderabad 39

3.9 Cost of Waste-to-Energy Options 41

3.10 Environmental Sustainability of WTE Options 43

3.11 Cost Workout for Pilot Project 44

4. Solid Waste Management in Urban India 47

4.1 MSW Generated in India 47

4.2 Cost for Provision of Municipal SWM 52

4.3 Status of Municipal SWM in India 64

5. Financial Support for Solid Waste Management 72

5.1 Introduction 72

5.2 Centrally Financed Support 72

5.3 Waste-to-Energy Sector 74

5.4 International Donor Support 76

5.5 Private Sector Financing 76

References 77

Annexure 79

Annex 1: Financial Outlay for Mega Cities Scheme 79

List of Abbreviations

BDA / Bangalore Development Authority
BMP / Bangalore Mahanagara Palike
BMTC / Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation
BOO / Build Operated and Transfer
BWSSB / Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board
CBO / Community Based Organisation
CEE / Centre for Environment Education
CPCB / Central Pollution Control Board
CPHEEO / Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation
cu.m. / Cubic metre
DWCUA / Development of Women and Children in Urban Areas
EE / Environment education
Exnora / EXcellent, NOvel and RAdical Ideas
GoI / Government of India
GoUP / Government of Uttar Pradesh
HUDCO / Housing and Urban Development Corporation
IDFC / Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation
ISWM / Integrated solid waste management
IUEIP / Integrated Urban Environment Improvement Project
KPTC / Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation
LDA / Lucknow Development Authority
LNN / Lucknow Nagar Nigam
MNES / Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources
MoEF / Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India
MoUD / Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India
MSW / Municipal Solid Waste
NEDA
NGO / Non Government Organisation
NMMC / Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation
NWMC / National Waste Management Council
O&M / Operation and Maintenance
SJRSY / Swarn Jayanti Shehri Rojgaar Yojana
SPV / Special Purpose Vehicle
Sq.km. / Square Kilometres
sq.km. / Square kilometre
SWM / Solid Waste Management
TERI / Tata Energy Research Institute
TFC / Twelfth Finance Commission
TIDCO / Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation
TIDE / Technology Informatics Design Endeavour
ULBs / Urban Local Bodies
UPPCB / Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board
UPPCL / Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited
VMC / Vijayawada Municipal Corporation
WTE / Waste-to-Energy

List of Tables

Table 3.1: Advantages and Disadvantages of Waste Disposal Systems (in Indian Scenario) – Composting 28

Table 3.2: Advantages and Disadvantages of Waste Disposal Systems (in Indian Scenario) – Waste-to-Energy 29

Table 3.3: Cost of WTE Options in India 41

Table 3.4: Indicative Parameters for Bio-Methanation Based Power Plant 43

Table 4.1: Number of Urban Centres (State-wise and Category-wise), India 48

Table 4.2: MSW Generation for Urban Centres in India (State-wise and Category-wise) based on CPCB Norms 50

Table 4.3: MSW Generation for Urban Centres in India (State-wise and Category-wise) based on CPHEEO/Planning Commission Norms 53

Table 4.4: Cost Model 1 – Cost Estimation for Municipal SWM using ORG (1989) Norms (at 2004 prices) 56

Table 4.5: Cost Model 2 – Cost Estimation for Municipal SWM using Planning Commission (1983) Norms (at 2004 prices) 58

Table 4.6: Cost Model 3 – Cost Estimation for Municipal SWM using Planning Commission/Xth Five Year Plan (2002) Norms 60

Table 4.7: Cost Model 4 – Cost Estimation for Municipal SWM using Average Planning Commission/Xth Five Year Plan (2002) Norms 62

Table 4.8: Comparative Findings of Four Cost Models 64

Table 4.9: Typical Composition of Municipal Solid Waste 64

Table 4.10: Chemical Characteristics of Landfill Leachate 65

Table 4.11: Status of Waste Collection, Transportation and Disposal in Urban India 66

Table 4.12: Characteristics of MSW having Direct Impact on WTE Initiatives 68

Table 4.13: WTE Potential in Urban Centre in India (State-wise), 2004 68

Table 5.1: Financing Norms for IREDA 75


ii

1.0 Introduction

Urban solid waste includes, household garbage and rubbish, street sweeping, construction and demolition debris, sanitation residues, trade and industrial refuse and bio-medical solid waste (CPCB, 2000). Solid waste management (SWM) has three basic components, namely, collection, transportation and disposal.

The quantity and the content of municipal solid waste (MSW) vary according to the socio-economic status and cultural habits, prevailing climate, location, urban structure, density of population and extent of non-residential activities (IPE, 2004; CPCB, 2000). The collection methods currently adopted by urban local bodies (ULBs) are primitive and lacking in specific standards or guidelines which are required for designing and siting of collection centres. Although the Manual on Municipal Solid Waste Management (2000) takes a positive step in this direction, much still remains desired for. The Manual also identifies lack of technical, managerial, administrative and financial resources and weak institutional structure of ULBs as the prime reason for poor SWM in urban India. Lack of long-term sustainable planning to reach to a long-term economic solution has also been listed as one of the major deterrents for effective SWM in India.

1.1 Municipal Solid Waste Management

The objective of SWM is to reduce the quantity of solid waste disposed off on land by recovery of materials and energy from solid waste in a cost effective and environment friendly manner. However, this is a problem which Indian cities have been grappling with since long. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the average waste generated comes to about 490 grams per capita per day. Out of this, average collection ranges from 50% to 90% of the total solid waste generated, while 94% of the wastes are disposed unscientifically. The typical rate of increase of waste generation in Indian cities has been estimated at around 1.3% annually (TERI). The expected generation of MSW in 2025 will therefore be around 700 grams per capital per day. Considering that the urban population of India is expected to grow to 45% of total (World Bank) from the prevailing 28%, the magnitude of problem is likely to grow to even larger proportions unless immediate steps are taken to control waste generation, ensure better collection and sustainable disposal.

Disposal of the waste generated is driven by the institutional and fiscal capacities of the city governments. According to a CPCB study, about 94 percent of the cities resort to indiscriminate dumping of domestic, commercial, industrial and medical wastes. This results in contamination of ground and surface water by leachate. Burning of waste as well leads to air pollution. Moreover, sanitary landfill based disposal system as well does not seem to be a sustainable system largely as land is becoming scarce in urban settlement besides the implications of this method of disposal for pollution of ground water and air pollution.

The cities are therefore looking for a system of disposing the solid wastes that could be free from the hazards mentioned above and should as well be cost effective. Concerns for environmental risks have driven some of the cites to adopting newer ways of waste disposal that are neither hazardous nor unaffordable. The two leading innovative mechanisms of waste disposal being adopted in India include composting (aerobic composting, anaerobic, vermi-composting, etc.) and waste-to-energy (bio-methanation, pelletisation, incineration, pyrolysis/gasification).

1.2 Composting of Solid Waste

Composting is achieved by de-composting the organic solid waste either in the presence of oxygen (aerobic composting) or in the absence of oxygen (anaerobic composting). By far, about 35 composting projects have either emerged or are finalised in different cities in the country. The installed capacity of these projects ranges from 80-700 tons per day. Funds required for such projects vary from Rs. 30 million to Rs. 75 millions. Mostly the compost plants have come up with private sector participation on different formats of privatisation.

A key risk associated with composting relates to the end product – compost that is free from environmental hazards. If composting is not based on segregation at source, the end product becomes generally contaminated. The quality also affects the marketability of the compost. If a higher degree of segregation is achieved, quality of compost is usually higher and less toxic. Effective source segregation, therefore, becomes an important pre-requisite for successful composting. However, the concept of source segregation has still to catch on in India. Although some cities have initiated the concept of source segregation following Hon’ble Supreme Court orders, most of these cities lack the infrastructure, resources and technical expertise to make optimum utilisation of segregated wastes. The quality of segregation at source also is very poor due to lack of awareness and enforcement.

1.3 Waste-to-Energy Projects

Waste-to-energy (WTE) projects for disposal of solid waste are a relatively new concept in India. Although these have been tried and tested in developed countries with positive results, these are yet to get off the ground in the country largely because of the fact that financial viability and sustainability is still on test. Many environmentalists argue that environmental costs incurred in these projects are far higher than the returns. While a number of cities have opted for WTE plants, such as Hyderabad, Vijaywada, Lucknow, etc., most of these have been unsuccessful experiments till now, primarily due to the composition of waste in India and lack of market for end products. Although, recent WTE plants have involved the private sector in their installation and O&M, most are heavily dependent on subsidies provided by the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources (MNES) and financing institutions such as HUDCO. Policy makers now need to take a decision on sustainability of WTE projects in India and clearly indicate the steps which need to be taken to ensure optimum outputs from WTE plants. The MNES has already taken a step in this direction by preparing a Master Plan on Waste-to-Energy for India, which is currently being finalised.

Urban local bodies are spending a very high percent of their budget on cleaning and waste disposal. These cost increases are exacerbated by poor vehicle routing, lack of proper infrastructure and inadequate maintenance. Increasing land prices and reduced availability of suitable disposal options in and around urban centres steadily make safe waste disposal more difficult and costly. Despite many good practices from around the world being available, most ULBs in India select inappropriate technologies. There is a need to understand these good practices and identify local context which led to their success as well as identify major constraints faced during project preparation and implementation. Simultaneously, there is a need to identify and address the resource gap faced by ULBs for effective SWM.

1.4 Aim and Objectives

In view of the above-mentioned initiatives for disposal of solid waste, it is proposed to look at these initiatives (including the composting projects) for gaining insights into costs and environmental hazards. This will provide useful insights for their feasibility and replication in other cities. The proposed study will specifically examine the following:

  1. Review the existing best practices in India/abroad.
  2. Explore innovative successful practices like waste-to-energy, segregation leading to composting and recycling and waste-to- energy for applicability to Indian cities.
  3. Review the quantum of support given by the earlier Finance commissions in this sector to the urban local bodies.
  4. Estimate costs and financing options that could be suggested for fiscal devolution by the Twelfth Finance Commission.
  5. Examine the existing schemes and planned support in this sector and explore the possibility of converging the support with the support which may be considered by the 12th Finance commission.
  6. Examine environmental sustainability especially of waste-to-energy projects.

1.5 Methodology Followed

The study will be a combination of desk research, discussions with functionaries of MNES, and visits to some of the innovative composting and waste-to-energy plants in the country. Visits will provide insights into project costs and environmental sustainability of projects.

The methodology adopted for this study included a combination of desk research, interactions with experts working on innovative composting and WTE plants and discussions with experts in government agencies including Central Pollution Control Board and the Ministry of Non Conventional Energy Resources.

1.5.1 Data Collection

Data collection was undertaken in two stages. The first stage included collection and collation of secondary data directly relating to the requirements of the project. The second stage included development of a citywide inventory for solid waste. These inventories were sent to respective city managers (Commissioner/Senior Engineers). Visits to cities were also undertaken wherever a gap data was envisaged.

1.5.2 Data Processing

The data collected from the above sources were compiled and analysed using computer.

1.5.3 Assumptions and Limitations

·  All studies of international good practices are based exclusively on secondary literature studies (sources quoted in report). No contact was made with respective (international) organisations to validate authenticity of data.

·  In case data received from the cities/secondary sources did not tally with the data of Census report 2001, the population figures and areas as per the Census report 2001 have been considered for analysis.

·  Seasonal variation of solid waste collection has not been considered for the study as most cities did not have reliable data for these.

·  Most corporations/respective city organisations did not have separate data for generation of household, commercial and industrial waste; instead an equated data was available. For purpose of this study, the data as provided by the concerned organisation/department has been accepted.