Recycled municipal solid waste improves soil productivity and sustainability

Socio-economic changes like population pressure, industrialization, migration, and urbanisation have led to a significant increase in municipal solid waste in India. Solid waste generation is about 0.1 kg, 0.3–0.4 kg, and 0.5 kg per capita per day in small, medium, and large cities and towns in India, respectively (CPCB, 2005). Currently, India produces approximately 70 metric tonnes (Mt) of municipal solid waste per year, and by 2030, it will reach around 165Mt. If the pace is continued, it could reach around 436Mt by 2050 (Planning Commission Report, 2014). Approximately 80% of municipal solid waste (MSW) gets collected, and only around 28% is used.

A recent paper, ‘Municipal solid waste: Opportunities, challenges and management policies in India: A review’ in Waste Management Bulletin, deals with how sustainable management of municipal solid waste is of the utmost importance not only because of health and environmental concerns but also because of the disposal issues associated with large quantities of waste generated and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Improper management of municipal solid waste causes hazards for inhabitants. Environmental and economic implications linked with the proper eco-friendly disposal of modern-day waste have made it essential to come up with alternative waste management practices.

Several studies revealed that approximately 90% of municipal solid waste was disposed of in an unscientific manner in open dumps and landfills, creating a severe enigma for human health and the environment as well as contaminating the food chain. It has been observed that urban local bodies (ULBs) in India face a big challenge in handling huge quantities of municipal solid waste due to the high density of population and insufficient infrastructure. Door-to-door collection of waste, methodologies for recycling municipal solid waste, and scientific treatments are some of the challenges.

Considering these facts, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) in India notified the new Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2016, which would revamp solid waste management in the country. Several steps of waste management and treatment are being adopted, i.e., incineration, pyrolysis, bio-refining and biogas plants, recycling, and composting. Composting is a sustainable, low-cost option for municipal solid waste management; however, only 6–7% of municipal solid waste is recycled through it.

The present study emphasises a comprehensive review of the characteristics, production, collection, disposal, and effective treatment technologies of municipal solid waste management practiced in India.

In recent years, it has become the need of the hour to prepare strategic and detailed management plans for solid waste management by urban local bodies (ULBs). The assessment of information on the current status of solid waste recycling in the ULBs with respect to the requirements of existing regulation, policies, guidelines, and identified service level benchmarks (SLBs) will result in the identification of key shortfalls in achieving the desired level of services and shall form the basis for preparing a plan to improve the municipal solid waste management system. 

This review focuses on the use of municipal solid waste as an organic amendment for the reclamation of salt-affected soils. The present article comprehensively studies solid waste management practices and regulations and their application in the soil as organic amendments and organic fertilisers for sustainable crop production in India. Research should focus on these concerns globally in the future to reduce ecological disturbances, establish environmental standards, and evaluate the viability of policies in various nations and how they affect the socio-economic circumstances of the local people.

Rules and regulations of municipal waste management in India

The 2016 Solid Waste Management Rules stipulate that the local authorities shall prepare a strategic plan for solid waste management as per state policy and strategies on solid waste management within six months from the date of notification of state policy and strategies and submit a copy to the respective departments of the State Government or Union Territory Administration or an agency authorised by the State Government or Union Territory Administration.

These rules have been revised after sixteen years. Solid waste management is a mandatory municipal function; it is compulsory for all municipal authorities to execute this service effectively to maintain cleanness in the cities and towns, as well as to dispose of the solid waste in an environmentally acceptable manner, complying with the 2016 Solid Waste Management Rules.

Barriers for sustainable municipal solid waste management

• Technical and physical barriers: Lack of waste collecting points, irregularity of waste collection, inadequate waste collection vehicles, inadequate access to waste bins, alternatives to final waste disposal (burning and illegal dumping), improper waste separation facilities, the volume of waste, space limitations, etc. create technical and physical barriers for sustainable municipal solid waste management.
• Organisational barriers: Lack of planning and strategy, inadequate policy, lack of people’s engagement with programs, poor public communication, lack of information, inappropriate media, etc.—stand against sustainable municipal solid waste management.
• Socio-cultural barriers: Lack of participation, lack of engagement with waste separation activities, lack of cooperation, negative attitudes, lack of concern for waste management, insufficient communication, etc., initiate problems for sustainable municipal solid waste management.
• Financial barriers: Waste management fee collection, insufficient funding, the "waste has no value" concept, a lack of private players, poor incomes, etc. provide financial barriers to sustainable municipal solid waste management.
• Legal and political barriers: Inadequate and weak legislation, conflicting interests among participants, population growth, etc. are the major legal and political barriers to sustainable municipal solid waste management.

Concluding remarks and future prospective

Improper handling of municipal solid waste poses a greater challenge from a larger perspective. There would be large-scale implications for the population. When we don’t plan, we plan to fail; hence, we have to handle this issue on multiple fronts simultaneously. The policy should be streamlined with gradual changes in society, and its implementation should follow a bottom-up approach. A bottom-up approach will enhance effectiveness at the grass-roots level. The paper presents a framework to analyse the potential challenges and opportunities of municipal solid waste organic management.

The involvement of all stakeholders will be crucial to municipal solid waste management. Awareness should be created among citizens regarding their importance in contributing towards handling the menace of growing municipal solid waste. As they are the end users, their contribution holds the key here. Community level participation will have long-lasting implications not only for the present scenario but also for the future generation.

Investment in scientific innovations to develop sustainable methods or enhance the efficacy of present options should be increased. This step will boost the efficient management of municipal solid waste. The financial condition of urban local bodies in India needs drastic improvement. This improvement can be done by channelling more resources towards urban local bodies as per the recommendation of the financial commission or generating fiscal avenues for the self-reliance of urban local bodies.

State capacity has been limited over time or stagnated, so the involvement of the private sector will complement the efforts of the state. We require a comprehensive strategy to address the problem of sustainable management of municipal solid waste because there isn't a single answer to the problem.