Solid Waste Management: India’s Real ESG Crisis

Mismanaged waste threatens both public health and environmental sustainability

Improper disposal of waste contributes to growing landfills across India

• India’s inadequate waste management system is an escalating public health risk.

• The absence of proper waste segregation at the source exacerbates landfill issues.

• Innovative decentralized waste management approaches show promise but remain underutilized.

  
  

India’s growing solid waste problem has emerged as a key sustainability challenge, with insufficient infrastructure, lack of segregation, and poor waste treatment practices at the issue's core. A significant amount of waste, especially in urban areas, ends up in overwhelmed landfills or open spaces, creating hazardous conditions for residents and the environment.

This issue is of particular concern because India generates around 62 million tons of waste annually, with more than 70% of this waste ending untreated. The lack of segregation at the source means mixed waste is collected and dumped, making recycling difficult and costly. This contributes to increased methane emissions, soil degradation, and severe public health risks.

Technical Focus

India’s waste management infrastructure is struggling to keep up with rapid urbanization. While laws like the Solid Waste Management Rules of 2016 aim to address this by promoting segregation at the source and decentralized waste processing, implementation remains slow.

Only a fraction of the waste generated in major cities is properly segregated or processed. Only 12 out of 250 municipal wards in New Delhi have achieved 100% waste segregation. However, successful examples like Kerala’s fine system for improper waste management hint at potential solutions.

As India urbanizes, the sheer volume of waste, particularly electronic and plastic, overwhelms the existing infrastructure. Efforts like decentralizing waste processing and employing modern waste-to-energy technologies offer hope but require policy enforcement and public cooperation. Localized solutions like those in Kerala and Trichy demonstrate that the situation can improve with public participation and proper waste management protocols.

However, without immediate and coordinated action, India's waste management crisis will continue to strain public health systems and contribute to environmental degradation. More than any other ESG issue, this crisis may hold the key to India's sustainable future.