TRANSFORMING WASTE-RIDDEN URBAN INDIA

News: India is shifting urban waste management from a linear “collect-dump” model to a circular economy, minimising waste, boosting recycling, and cutting emissions, spurred by COP30 (Belém, 2025) commitments like No Organic Waste (NOW) to reduce methane.

Key Trends:

• Urban waste projected at 165 million tonnes/year by 2030, rising to 436 million tonnes by 2050 with 814 million urban population
• Emits over 41 million tonnes GHGs annually, mainly methane from organic waste
• Cities generate 12 million tonnes construction & demolition (C&D) waste yearly
• SBM-U 2.0 drives Garbage Free Cities (GFC) ratings: Navi Mumbai, Surat hit 7-stars in Swachh Survekshan 2025 via 100% processing.

Organic Waste Opportunities

• Composting: Varanasi’s Fermented Organic Manure (FOM) via ₹1,500/tonne MDA subsidy feeds farmers, easing landfills.
• Bio-methanation: GOBARdhan enabled ~750 CBG plants by 2025
• Indore’s 550 TPD facility powers buses.
• Decentralised models: Alappuzha composting cuts GHGs
• Srinagar hotels achieve 100% in-situ processing under Swachh Campus norms.
• Livelihoods: SafaiMitra integrates SHGs like Green Roing into green jobs.

SBM-U 2.0 Role

• Bio-mining remediates dumps (e.g., MCD’s 25,000 MT/day at Ghazipur)
• Source segregation via three-bin systems (Mizoram’s 100% in Aizawl).
• Behavioural nudges: Swachh Shehar Jodi pairs cities for gamified tracking
• Links to climate goals via SLCP reductions.

Key Outcomes

• Waste Diversion & Remediation
• Emission Reductions
• Economic & Livelihood Gains
• Behavioural Shifts