Institute of Hotel Management, Catering and Nutrition, Kufri, Shimla, Himachal

Pradesh

(Session 2023-24)

A Project Report

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the Requirements for the

award of the degree

of

Bachelor in Hotel and Hospitality Administration

“Waste Management”

SUBMITED TO SUBMITED BY
MR. CHETAN THAKUR (FACULTY) AAYUSH SAHI
(MANAGEMENT ACCOUNT’s AND IT) (2141119005)
TH
IHM SHIMLA 6 SEM OF B.SC IN H&HA
 Institute of Hotel Management, Catering and Nutrition, Kufri, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
Under Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India

Administration

Admission

Student Zone

CANDIDATE’S DECLARATION

It is certified that the project entitled “Waste Management” Submitted by me is my own work
under the supervision of my supervisor Mr. Chetan Thakur
I also declare that I have adhered to all principles of academic honesty and integrity and have not
misrepresented or fabricated or falsified any idea/fact/source in my submission. I understand that
any violation of the above may result in failure in examination.

AAYUSH SAHI

This is to certify that the above statement made by the candidate is correct to the best of my knowledge.

Chetan Thakur
IHM SHIMLA
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I feel indebted to my guide Mr. Chetan Thakur for the completion of this project report titled “
Waste Management”. The present work could be completed only because of the able guidance and
affectionate attitude of my guide Mr. Chetan Thakur.

I am thankful to all respondents and all those who assisted me by supplying the requisite
information towards the completion of the research project and provided me the relevant data.

SUBMITTED BY:

Name of the Student: Aayush Sahi

Roll No: 2141119005
 INDEX Page
No.
CHAPTER 1 1-62
INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 2 63-66
2.1 OBJECTIVE
2.2 LIMITATION
2.3 SCOPE OF STUDY
2.4 METHODOLOGY

CHAPTER-3 67-72
REVIEW OF LITERATURE

CHAPTER-4 73-74
DATA ANALYSIS

CHAPTER 5 74-77
4.1 RECOMMENDATION
4.2 CONCLUSION

CHAPTER 6 77-78
BIBLIOGRAPHY
CHARTS
S.NO INDEX PAGE NO.

1 Defining Waste Management 2

2 Waste management concepts 6

3 Biogas Plant 19

4 Biogas plant for biological wastes recycling 23

5 Biogas production process 25

6 One and two stages process 26

7 Existing Waste Management system 32

8 E-waste recycling practices in India 47

 CHAPTER-1

INTRODUCTION

Waste is an important by-product of the food and beverage industry. Also, it poses a great
threat to the environment in which we survive. Hence it is very much important to eradicate
the various threats that are caused by the pollution. At this present century waste management
is an important strategy that every industry is looking forward to. Through my research
project I would like to bring out the various strategies that food and beverage industry has
taken to do a proper waste management. Cleaning and wasting are quite familiar to us, and
once discarded their products have to be dealt with somehow, or managed. Yet in many ways
research on what becomes of all that we discard has only just begun. Until relatively recently,
anthropologists have had little to say about waste management. Arguably this tendency
reflects a preference for “social” ideas over “individual” techniques that goes back to
formative epistemological distinctions between science and technology, as well as religion
and magic (Ingold 2000: 317). But the techniques of waste management are worth
appreciating in their own right. If classificatory rules mediate how waste is managed, then the
reverse is also true—waste management is more than a byproduct of a distinctly human
demand for order, but a process actively involved in reshaping our ideals and imaginations in
turn. Today, adequate waste services are considered vital to the governance of cities,
industries and refugee camps: a basic human right, an economic opportunity and an
ecological imperative. For ethnographers of waste and waste management, it is not enough to
wonder why certain things or people are categorized as polluting and disposable, therefore. In
addition they ask: a) what specific capacities and affordances characterize waste materialities,
their management

Waste Management
Waste minimization is a methodology used to achieve waste reduction, primarily through
reduction at source, but also including recycling and re-use of materials, as shown in the

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figure below.

Waste
Minimisation

Source reduction
Recycle onsite and
(pollution
offsite
prevention)

Process changes
Product changes
(cleaner Reuse
(eco design)
production)

Improved
operating Reclamation
practices

Technology
changes (clean Modification
production)

Raw material
changes

The benefits of waste minimization are both environmental and financial and wide in their
coverage. Some of the main benefits include the following:

•Improved bottom line through improved process efficiency

•Reduced burden on the environment, with improved public image and compliance with
legislation
•Better communication and involvement of employees and therefore greater commitment to
the business

Hazards of Waste Management

There are multiple facets of waste management that all come with hazards, both for those
around the disposal site and those who work within waste management. Exposure to waste of
any kind can be detrimental to the health of the individual, primary conditions that worsen

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with exposure to waste are asthma and tuberculosis. The exposure to waste on an average
individual is highly dependent on the conditions around them, those in less developed or
lower income areas are more susceptible to the effects of waste product, especially though
chemical waste. The range of hazards due to waste is extremely large and covers every type
of waste, not only chemical. There are many different guidelines to follow for disposing
different types of waste.
Diagram showing the multiple ways that incineration is hazardous to the population
The hazards of incineration are a large risk to many variable communities, including
underdeveloped countries and countries or cities with little space for landfills or alternatives.
Burning waste is an easily accessible option for many people around the globe, it has even
been encouraged by the World Health Organization when there is no other option. Because
burning waste is rarely paid attention to, its effects go unnoticed. The release of hazardous
materials and CO2 when waste is burned is the largest hazard with incineration.

What is hotel waste management?

Waste management in a hotel is the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste.
Some of the techniques to get rid of waste are to put it into landfill, incinerate it, compact it,
compost it and vermicompost. It is key for hotels to reduce and reuse waste as much as
possible, and recycle what is possible to recycle. Hotels generate a large amount of waste and
for that reason they must have a way to get rid of it efficiently and find a way to reduce costs
as it can be expensive. Find out 12 ways for hotels to go green.

It is an important part of being environmentally responsible, and that hotels are taking care of
waste without polluting the atmosphere, soil or water. Trash must be hygienically, efficiently
and properly collected, transported and treated in order for hotels to live up to their social
responsibility. With the Covid-19 pandemic, some of the best practices have been forgone in
order to ensure safety and protection from the virus so coming out of the pandemic, it’s
important for hotels to re-address how they can best get rid of waste while keeping guests
safe.

The 6 best practices for hotel waste management

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Hotels continue to damage the environment courtesy of the usual culprits, including
disposable coffee cups, plastic straws, individually wrapped amenities, endless paper receipts,
registration cards and invoices that reception desks keep churning out. Hotels without a doubt
generate a lot of waste, in addition to wasting water and electricity so it’s important to have it
under control with a plan of action and best practices in mind. Let 's take a look

1. Packaging
Hotels generate a huge amount of packaging, from single-use plastic amenities that are
thrown out regularly, to cleaning and washing supplies, to plastic water bottles, all of which
easily end up in a landfill site. When it comes to toiletries, many customers have long
associated hotels with luxury, indulgence and the accumulation of more than what is
necessary. Small changes in hotel operations can have a huge impact on the environment.

Some simple ways to reduce packaging are eliminating plastic straws, single-use toiletries,
and offering refillable branded water bottles. Not only are refillable water bottles a great way
to indirectly promote your brand, but it also sends a positive message to your guests that you
care about the environment. Find out more sustainability practices in hotels.

2. Energy
Laundry and housekeeping are huge energy sinks, and outdated traditions about unnecessarily
cleaning everything all the time may not be appropriate in an age of climate change and
social responsibility. Smart technologies can more directly save energy by, for example, only
switching on the AC once a room has been checked into. Or using smart algorithms that
allocate rooms so that they are grouped on a single floor to save on under floor heating bills.
All these become a reality with an open platform and cloud-based PMS that can easily plug
into third party technologies.

3. Zero waste
There is something about going away from one’s habitual environment that tends to make
people less environmentally aware. Would you really wash your towels and bed linens daily
if you were home, or throw out a tiny bottle of shampoo after one use? This is why it’s a
modern hotelier’s job to work towards zero waste, only washing linens and towels when fully
necessary, and replacing individual amenities with refillable bottles.

Implementing composting in the kitchen and recycling paper, cardboard, plastic and metal, as
well as composting hand towels, coffee grounds and using compostable cups is key to

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becoming zero waste at your facilities.

4. Food waste
Food waste makes up over 50 percent of waste in the hospitality industry and in the U.S.,
more than $218 billion is spent on growing, processing, moving and discarding food that is
never eaten. Many hotels have found innovative ways to deal with food waste. Fairmont
Hotels and Resorts’ Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge works with Twin Meadows Organics Farm,
a sustainable and organic family farm that delivers local produce, to reduce its food waste.
Fairmont staff send used vegetable oil back to the farm to fuel the delivery truck and on-farm
generator, and other hotels have adopted practices such as planting food and producing
animal feed from their food waste.

5. Paper waste
As recently as 2015 25% of hoteliers were still using pen and paper to manage their
properties in the US. Paper receipts, registration cards and invoices are the main offenders,
and they are ancient practices that are ripe for digitalization. Advances in technology can
allow hoteliers to focus on spending even more time with their guests and increasingly use
those real hospitality skills, while only the menial and repetitive manual tasks get automated
in the background by tech solutions like Mews. This means cutting down on unnecessary
paper use, and going digital whenever possible.

6. Training staff
Training staff is key to better being able to communicate and understand the best practices
surrounding waste. With tools like the Mews University, hoteliers have access to a simple,
easy way for every staff member to become masters of cutting-edge digital hotel management
technology that will ultimately help automate energy-saving features with the help of a range
of integrations, so you can manage things like turning off electricity when people are not
using certain areas of your facilities, and at the same time help cut down on paper by
digitizing processes.

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 Waste management concepts

There are a number of concepts about waste management, which vary in their usage between
countries or regions. Some of the most general, widely used concepts include:

Most favoured option Preventation

Minimisation

Reuse

Recycle

Energy Recovery

Least favoured option Desposal

•Waste hierarchy - The waste hierarchy refers to the "3 Rs" reduce, reuse and recycle, which
classify waste management strategies according to their desirability in terms of waste
minimization. The waste hierarchy remains the cornerstone of most waste minimization
strategies. The aim of the waste hierarchy is to extract the maximum practical benefits from
products and to generate the minimum amount of waste.

•Extended producer responsibility - Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a strategy

designed to promote the integration of all costs associated with products throughout their life
cycle (including end-of-life disposal costs) into the market price of the product. Extended
producer responsibility is meant to impose accountability over the entire lifecycle of products

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and packaging introduced to the market. This means that firms which manufacture, import
and/or sell products are required to be responsible for the products after their useful life as
well as during manufacture.

•Polluter pays principle - the Polluter Pays Principle is a principle where the polluting party
pays for the impact caused to the environment. With respect to waste management, this
generally refers to the requirement for a waste generator to pay for appropriate disposal of the
waste.

What is the Significance of Effective Waste Management for Businesses

Involved the Hotel Industry?

Waste Management in the hotel industry is the most underrated technique to be adopted by
any commercial business due to the lack of awareness and difficulty in understanding its
significance. In fact, waste management helps a hotel business to have an effective supply
chain in place, improve procurement and ordering of resources, reduce waste material, and
eventually save money.

With an exponential increase in the number of travellers, especially over the last decade, it is
only wise that the hotel industry takes advantage of the emerging practices and technologies
to make their operations not only environmentally friendly but also take effective measures to
achieve greater efficiency and sustainability.

Some of the key reasons that highlight the significance of proper waste management in the
hotel industry are:

Protection Of Environment

As discussed, the hotel industry generates a significant amount of waste, thereby leaving a
large carbon footprint on the environment. In light of these adverse effects, various laws,
rules, and regulations have been introduced and implemented, such as The Environmental
Protection Act of 1986, The Solid Waste Management Rules of 2016, The Hazardous and
Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules of 2016, etc. with an
overall objective of minimising the environmental damage and reduction in pollution by

7
employing effective and proper waste disposal methods. These regulations are incentivising
enough for businesses to take measures to mitigate environmental concerns by adopting
effective methods for waste management in the hotel industry

Conservation Of Resources

Hotel businesses are one of the biggest consumers of natural resources such as energy, water,
and other raw materials, and effective waste management in the hotel industry necessitates
employing techniques of reduction, reuse, and recycling that contribute towards the
conservation of resources and their effective utilisation and ultimately lead to lesser waste
generation.

Reduction In Costs

Another benefit for businesses to undertake effective methods of waste management in the
hotel industry is that it can reduce the overall disposal costs. By employing the techniques of
reducing, reusing, and recycling, businesses. Can save a lot of extra costs invested in external
waste vendor services or other informal methods.

Having a systematic system of waste management in the hotel industry for your business
streamlines the entire process and makes it even more seamless, allowing you to pay attention
to other core operations. This will further allow you to trim all the unnecessary costs and fees
involved and can be extremely time-saving.

Legal Compliance

In order to prevent environmental pollution and promote sustainable development, the

government has implemented various waste management rules and regulations at various
levels that businesses must adhere to. Ministry of Environment. Forest and Climate Change
(MOEF) and other concerned authorities such as the Central Pollution Control Board and
State Pollution Control Boards have been specially assigned the task to oversee the effective

8
management of these rules, and in pursuance of the same, these bodies grant or cancel
licenses and permits accordingly.

In addition to that, failure to comply with these rules and regulations may attract fines, other
pecuniary penalties, and legal complications; therefore, it is only wise to take effective
measures and comply with these regulations to avoid unwanted future costs.

Increased Revenue

Adopting sustainable practices has become the norm now. In the era of increasing
environmental and social awareness, consumers are more likely to support those businesses
that hold these values and demonstrate sustainability, which includes responsible waste
management. Eco-conscious stakeholders and customers want to be associated with such
businesses that prioritise these values rather than merely indulging in greenwashing.

Definitions of technical terms used waste management

Ashes: residue from fires used for cooking and heating Biodegradable: capable of being
breakdown by biological process.

Biodegradation: metabolic process by which high energy organics are converted to low
energy, CO2, and H2O

Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD): amount of oxygen, used by microorganisms in the

biodegradation process.

Bulky Refuse: materials that are non-combustible including metals cans furniture dirt glass.
etc.

Decomposition: reduction of net energy level and change in chemical composition of organic
matter because of actions of aerobic or anaerobic microorganisms.

Dumping: The final disposal of all refuses by uncontrolled, indiscriminate deposition on

sand areas, in pits or quarries, rivers, etc. Effluent: out flowing liquid and broken by the
action of anaerobic bacteria.

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Garbage: Organic and generally biodegradable wastes from the preparation and processing
of foods in homes, Solid and Liquid Waste Management 2 restaurants, food processing and
packaging plants abattoirs and other similar establishments.

Garden trash: Grass clippings, flowers, shrubbery and tree trimmings, leaves, and other tree
droppings.

Influent: inflowing liquid Municipal wastes: normal sized wastes from street cleaning and
litter collections from playgrounds, schools, hospitals, parks, dead animals and public
slaughtering house.

Recyclable (salvageable): Materials or items which can economically sorted out and
removed from refuse for sale, refuse by private enterprise.

Residues: Solid material which is left (discharged) at the end of burning (incineration)
Rubbish: combustible wastes including paper, card board boxes, barrels, wood, tree branches
yard trimmings, furniture originating from homes institutions hotels, markets, Stores, etc.

Sewage disposal: the act of disposing sewage by any means.

Sewage treatment: covers any process in which sewage is subjected in order to remove or
alter its objectionable constituent to make it less dangerous or offensive.

Sewer: a pipe containing sewage or wastewater

Challenges Faced in Waste Management by the Hotel Industry

The menace of waste generated in the hotel industry is so widespread and can be so complex
that it becomes quite difficult for the stakeholders and businesses involved in the industry to
effectively manage this waste. The inability to do so keeps on complicating the problem, and
thus, the heaps of garbage and waste keep getting taller.

However, in order to implement effective waste management techniques, it is imperative to

understand the problems and challenges faced by businesses in waste management in the
hotel industry in order to understand the ground realities. Some of these are:

Lack Of Waste Sorting

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The main reason for ineffective waste management in the hotel industry is the failure to sort
waste, and one of the major reasons for that is the lack of awareness and failure to understand
the importance of sorting the waste as per their categories. Hotel businesses often have
various kinds of waste to handle, and failure to sort them appropriately can lead to
contamination and increased costs.

Lack Of Infrastructure

There is an apparent lack of appropriate infrastructure for proper collection, transportation,

and disposal of various categories of waste. Businesses often find it logistically challenging
to manage such huge quantities of waste on their own without any expert guidance, which
leads to improper waste management in the hotel industry.

Different Legal Compliances

Different states or regions sometimes tend to have different regulations and standards for
waste management. With limited resources and limited knowledge of the applicable rules,
enforcement of these regulations can be quite challenging for effective waste management in
the hotel industry.

Guest/Consumer Behaviour

Lack of cooperation from the guests can be yet another challenge for waste management in
the hotel industry. Deep- rooted consumer behaviours of tossing the waste aside without
sparing a second thought regarding whether the same can be reused or recycled can be a
hindrance: Encouraging guests to participate in waste management can be challenging.

Waste Disposal Methods

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Source reduction
Volume of solid waste is reduced by reducing packaging, disposable products, etc.
Could introduce advanced practices, reducing waste at source. Many sources lie outside
individual cities.

Uncontrolled dumping
Controlled application of waste on land.
Low-cost and low technology solution when land available. Risks in certain circumstances,
e.g., to water supply.

Sanitary land filling

Controlled application of waste on land.
Low-cost and low technology solution when land available. Risks in certain circumstances,
e.g., to water supply.

Composting
Biological decomposition of organic matter in waste under controlled conditions.
Needs correct proportion of biodegradable material in waste. May be expensive where no
market for compost. Large decentralized schemes claimed to be unsuccessful.

Multi-material recycling
Complements composting Design products for ready recycling/reuse, sorting by consumers
and pick-up by types of materials.
Recycling and reuse already occur in many countries as a matter of economic necessity.

Incineration
Controlled burning of waste at high temperatures to reduce its volume; possibility to gain
energy from combustion.
High capital cost; requires skilled operation and control. Waste must have high calorific
value. Advantage if land not available for landfill.

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Gasification
Biological decomposition of organic matter in waste under controlled conditions to obtain
methane and other gases.
High cost and technologically complicated.

Refuse derived fuel

Separation of combustible materials from solid waste to be used for fuel purposes.
Assumes combustible material not separated out. Costs and operational issues not widely
known for large-scale operations.

Pyrolysis
High temperature conversion of organic material in absence of oxygen to obtain combustible
by-products.
Capital intensive with high running costs, and technically complex.

Advantages and Disadvantages

OCEAN DUMPING

Advantages:

• Convenient

• Inexpensive

• Source of nutrients, shelter and breeding

Disadvantages:

• Ocean overburdened

• Destruction of food sources

• Killing of plankton

• Desalination

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SANITARY LANDFILL

Advantages:

• Volume can increase with little addition of people/equipment

• Filled land can be reused for other community purposes

Disadvantages:

• Completed landfill areas can settle and requires maintenance

• Requires proper planning, design, and operation

INCINERATION

Advantages:

• Requires minimum land

• Can be operated in any weather

• Produces stable odour free residue

• Refuse volume is reduced by half

Disadvantages:

• Expensive to build and operate

• High energy requirement

• Requires skilled personnel and continuous maintenance

• Unsightly - smell, waste, vermin

OPEN DUMPING

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Advantages:

• Inexpensive

Disadvantages:

• Health-hazard - insects, rodents etc.

• Damage due to air pollution

• Ground water and run-off pollution

RECYCLING

Advantages:
• Key to providing a liveable environment for the future

Disadvantages:

• Expensive

• Some wastes cannot be recycled

• Technological push needed

• Separation of useful material from waste difficult

Biogas

What is biogas?

Biogas is the gas consisting of approximately 50-70% of methane (CH4) and 50-30% of
carbon dioxide (CO2). Synonyms for biogas such words as sewage gas, marsh gas, methane.
Different microorganisms metabolizing carbon from organic matter in oxygen-free
environment (anaerobically). This process is known as decomposition or anoxic fermentation

15
and follows food chain. In the process of fermentation biological waste produces biogas. This
gas can be used as natural gas for technological purposes, heating or electricity production. It
can be stored, pumped, used as vehicle fuel or sold to your neighbour’s. In order to produce
electricity no additional treatment of biogas is required.

By properties biogas is similar to natural gas. In case adjustable burner is used biogas needs
only drying, hydrogen sulphide and ammonia removal. If the burner is not adjustable the
system of carbon dioxide removal will be needed.

For vehicle refuelling additional gas treatment system should be used. After such treatment
biogas becomes pure natural gas (90-97% of methane (CH4) and 10-3% of carbon dioxide
(CO2)). Another byproduct of biogas treatment is CO2. This gas used as dry ice, for
beverages production or technological purposes and can be sold as valuable commodity.

Raw material Biogas yield m3/t of raw material

Cow manure 60
Pig manure 65
Chicken dung 130
Fat 1300
Distillery slop 70
Grain 500-560
Silage, plant tops, grass, algae 400
Milk whey 50
Fruit and sugar beet 50-70
pulp
Technical glycerine 500
Brewer’s grains 180

Anyone understands that natural gas price increase is inevitable and substantial. Gas pipeline
broaching worth millions of dollars, contrarily biogas plants construction is more cost

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effective. After investment into gas pipeline, we have to pay for gas as well, to be compared
with biogas it is nearly costless (less than 30 123 per 1000 m3). Biogas plant is the best
solution for gas supply to remote regions.

Bio-fertilizer

Raw manure or other biological waste is not applicable as fertilizer for 3-5 years.
Anaerobically digested biomass is a finished and ready for use high-performance bio-
fertilizer. This is not only ecological issue, but the matter of profit. In raw biological waste
(manure for example) minerals are chemically bounded to organics that complicates their
consumption by plants. For example, mineralization in raw manure is 40% if to be compared
to 60% in digested biomass. Digested biomass is finished solid and liquid bio-fertilizer free
of nitrites, weed seeds, pathogenic microflora, helminth eggs and Odors. As a result of
balanced bio-fertilizer application crop yield can be increased up to 30-50%.

Biogas plant produces high quality bio-fertilizer. Bio-fertilizer is a commodity. The quality of
bio-fertilizer is higher than mineral fertilizers and the net cost almost equals to “0”. As a
commodity it can be sold to anyone.

Investment savings

New enterprises can have considerable investment savings due to the possibility to avoid
building new gas pipeline, electricity line, auxiliary generators and waste storage facilities.
Thanks to the short digestion period the volume of waste lagoons can be reduced twice.
Investment cost savings can reach about 30-40% from
biogas plant price.

Electricity

Combustion of 1 m3 produces 2 kWh of electricity. You get fluctuation free electricity in

comparison with public electricity network. By building biogas plant, you will have
electricity at a fixed price, that makes about 0.01$/kWh.

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Heat

Heat from generator cooling or biogas combustion is used for working premises heating,
technological purposes, steam generation, seeds drying, firewood drying, hot water supply
and stock keeping.

New or existing greenhouse nearby biogas plant is a perfect solution. Heat can come directly
from biogas combustion or from generator cooling device. Only generator cooling device can
heat 2 Ha of greenhouse area. 90% of expenses for growing greenhouse cucumbers, tomatoes
and flowers are heat and fertilizer costs. If greenhouse combined with biogas plant it is
possible to reach 300- 500% of profitability.

Heat is also used to activate refrigerator vaporizer and produce cold for refrigeration of fresh
milk at dairy farms or meat and eggs storage.

Vehicle fuel

After treatment of biogas, you get biomethane (90-95% methane, the rest is CO2).
Biomethane is complete analogue of natural gas by its properties and quality. The only
difference is the source of the gas. Such methane can be and should be filled into vehicle
tank.

Huge gas filling station network already exists. In the circumstances of constant diesel fuel
rice in price, methane usage becomes more attractive. Biogas plants equipped with biogas
treatment system and methane filling station. Also, we can undertake conversion of engines
to run on methane. Conversion of one system unit to run on methane costs 2200 123, all
materials and work included. Methane filling station payback period is about half a year.
Net cost of biomethane is 1200 Rs for 1000 m3, and price for diesel fuel 50000 Rs for 1000
L. 1 L of diesel fuel equals 1 m3 of biomethane.

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 Operation principle of biogas plant

Liquid biological waste is pumped to biogas plant by sanitary pump or extraction pipeline.
Sewage pumping station (SPS) is located in a separate service room. Solid biological waste
(manure, dung) delivered by belt conveyor, in case of manure or dung storage, delivery made
by tractor. Liquid wastes initially come to primary tank. In primary tank waste homogenized
and heated (sometimes cooled) for required temperature. As a rule, such tank has 2-3 days
storage capacity. Solid waste can be loaded to that tank as well for homogenization or get into
digester through screw charger.
From homogenization tank and screw charger biomass (manure, dung or distillery slop)
comes to digester (biological reactor). Biological reactor is gas-proof tank made of acid-

19
resistant concrete. Reactor is heat-insulated. The heat-insulation is calculated depending on
the biogas plant site climate conditions. For microorganisms’ vital activity a constant and
even temperature inside the digester is kept, usually it is mesophilic temperature mode (+30-
41°С). In some cases, thermophilic mode of temperature is used (about 55°С). Biomass
mixing inside the digester is made by several ways and depends on the type of raw material,
its humidity and other features. Mixing can be done by slopped mixer, “paddle giant” type
mixer or submersed mixers. Al mixer types are made of stainless steel. In some cases, mixing
device can be

hydraulic instead of mechanical. Such mixers pump the biomass into the layers with bacterial
clumps. Bioreactors are built with wooden or concrete dome and have service life of 25-30
years.
Digesters are heated by hot water with inlet temperature about 60°С and discharge
temperature of about 40°С. Heating system is a network of pipes, which can be built-in to
reactor wall or to be mounted to interior side of the digester wall. In case biogas plant
equipped with co-generation unit, digester can be heated by generator cooling water.
Generator cooling water has temperature of 90°С and before getting into digester heating
system it is mixed with 40°С water so that heating system receives water with 60°С. The
water is previously treated and returnable. In winter time biogas plant requires up to 70% of
heat from generator cooling device and 10% in summer time. If biogas plant is purposed only
for gas production hot water is taken from a special water boiler. Biogas plant self-energy and
heat consumption usually makes from 5% to 15% of overall produced.

The average hydraulic retention time of biomass in bioreactor (depending on the material
type) is 20-40 days. During this time organic matter is metabolized (modified) by
microorganisms presented in the biomass. Corn silage hydraulic retention time is about 70-
160 days. The hydraulic retention time defines the size of the digester.
The fermentation process is made by anaerobic microorganisms, which are injected into the
digester during the biogas plant start up. Any further microorganism’s injection is not
required.

Microorganisms’ injection is made by one of three ways:

1) microorganisms concentrate injection

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2) fresh manure addition or

3)injection of biomass from operational biogas plant.

As a rule, 2nd and 3rd methods are used being cheapest ones. Microorganisms get into
manure from animal bowels and are not harmful to human or animal. Moreover, bioreactor is
a hermetically sealed container. That is why bioreactors or fermenters can be placed near the
farm or production facilities.

As end products we have: biogas and bio-fertilizer (composted or liquid).

Biogas is stored at a gasholder. Inside the gasholder pressure and biogas composition is
evened. Gasholder is a high-tensile and distensible EPDM membrane. The membrane
material is resistant to sunlight and internal bioreactor sediments and evaporations. Gasholder
service lifetime is 15 years. Bioreactor hermetically sealed by the gasholder from the topside
and covered by additional tilt cover. The space between the gasholder and tilt cover is
pumped with an air in order to form pressure and heat insulation. Sometimes gasholder is a
multichambered cover. Depending on the project solution such cover can be secured by belts
on the top of the concrete dome or to be placed in a separate concrete tank. Gasholder volume
capacity is 0.5 – 1 operational day.
From the gasholder biogas constantly comes to gas or diesel/gas co-generation unit. Here heat
and electricity are being produced. 1m3 of biogas produces 2 kWh of electrical and 2 kWh of
heat

power. Big biogas plants are equipped with an emergency flare for instances of engines
malfunction and the necessity to burn the excessive biogas. Biogas system can be equipped
with ventilation, condensate extractor and desulphurization unit.
The automatic control unit operates the whole system. Control unit operates the work of
pumping station, mixers, heating system, gas automatics and generator. For operational
control only one person for 2 hours a day is required. This person affects the control with the
help of computer. After two weeks of training any person without any special skills can
operate the biogas plant.
Anaerobically digested biomass is finished and ready for use as fertilizer. Liquid bio-fertilizer
is separated by separation unit and stored in a tank. In Germany this liquid (ammonia water)
is used as a fertilizer due to high ammonia (NH4) content. Solid fertilizer is stored separately.
From the storage tank liquid bio-fertilizer is pumped to transportation tanks for further

21
distribution or sale. As an option biogas plant can be supplied with fertilizer packing line

(bottles 0.3, 0.5, 1.0 l). In case liquid fertilizer is of no interest for biogas plant owner, such
plant can be equipped with additional wastewater treatment modules.
When company doesn’t need electricity but gas for vehicle filling, biogas plant supplied with
gas treatment system and methane filling station. Gas treatment system is equipment that
separates carbon dioxide from biogas and is based on absorption and stripper technology.
Carbon dioxide content can be reduced from 40% up to 10% (even 1% is possible if
required). This option is very interesting taking into consideration diesel fuel high prices.
For some types of biological waste above mentioned operation principle requires
modification. For example, it is not workable with single raw materials such as distillery slop
and brewer’s grain. In that instance two stage systems with additional hydrolysis reactor
should be used. The peculiarity of the process is the support of acidity level in hydrolysis
reactors. This technology patented by

123 and is under protection that makes impossible it’s usage by other companies.
Biogas plant self-energy consumption is 10-15% in wintertime and 3-7% in summer time. In
order to operate even big biogas plant only one person for two hours a day required.

Biogas plant equipment and facilities

1. Homogenization tank

2. Solid biomass loader

3. Bioreactor (digester)

4. Mixing devices

5. Gasholder (gas storage)

6. Water mixing and heating system

7. Gas system

8. Pumping station

9. Separator

22
10. Control gauges

Biogas plant for biological wastes recycling

What is biogas plant?

Biogas plant produces biogas and bio-fertilizer from biological wastes of agricultural and
food industries by means of oxygen-free fermentation (anaerobic digestion).
Biogas plant – is the most active system of biological recycling. This system performs
utilization, recycling and has shortest payback period. The differences from the other
recycling systems are the following.

1) biogas plant does not consume power, but produces it.

2) produced electricity is used by the enterprise and end products of other recycling systems
(dry feed or dry manure) needs to be sold or recycled.

23
Following raw materials can be used for biogas production:

Cattle manure, pig manure, chicken dung, slaughterhouse waste (blood, fat, entrails, and
rumen content), plants waste, silage, rotten grain, waste water, fats, bio-waste, food industry
waste, malt remnants, marc, distillery slop, bioethanol plant slop, brewer’s grain (crushed
malt remnants after wort filtration), sugar beet and fruit pulp, sugar beet tops, technical
glycerine (after biodiesel production), fibre and other starch and treacle production, milk
whey, flotation sludge, dewatered flotation sludge from municipal waste water treatment
plants, algae. Most of the raw materials can be mixed with each other.

What are the benefits of biogas plant?

Waste recycling gives:

Main benefits
1. Ecological cleaning
2. Gas,
3. Bio-fertilizer,
4. Investment cost saving (for new enterprises)

Additional benefits
1. Electricity,
2. Heat,

Biogas production process

24
 Four steps of fermentation

Process Bacteria Output

I. Hydrolysis Anaerobic hydrolysis Monosaccharides, amino
bacteria acids and fatty acids

II. Acidity increase Acid formers Organic acids, carbon

dioxide

III. Acetic acid formation Acetic acid formation Acetic acid, carbon
bacteria dioxide, hydrogen

IV. Methane formation Methane bacteria Methane,

carbon dioxide, water

Metabolism products of the anaerobic fermentation

Bacteria decompose the organic matter in anaerobic environment. Biogas is an intermediate

product of their metabolism. The decomposition process can be divided into 4 steps (see
scheme 1) each of those accompanied by different bacteria groups:
In the first stage aerobic bacteria reconstructs high-molecular substances (protein,
carbohydrates, fats, cellulose) by means of enzymes to low-molecular compounds like
monosaccharide, amino acids, fatty acids and water. Enzymes assigned by hydrolysis bacteria
decompose substrate components to small water-soluble molecules.

Polymers turn into monomers (separate molecules). This process called hydrolysis.
Then acid-forming bacteria make decomposition. Separate molecules penetrate into bacteria
cells where further transformation takes place. This process is partially accompanied by
anaerobic bacteria that consume rest of oxygen hence providing suitable anaerobic
environment for methane bacteria.
This step produces:

• Acids (acetic acid, formic acid, butyric acid, propionic acid, caproic acid, lactic acid),
• Alcohols and ketones (methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, glycerine and acetone),

25
• Gases (carbon dioxide, carbon, hydrogen sulphide and ammonia).

The step is called oxidation.

Afterwards acid-forming bacteria form initial products for methane formation: acetic acid,
carbon dioxide and hydrogen). These products are formed from organic acids. For vital
functions of these bacteria that consume hydrogen, stable temperature mode is very
important.
The last step is methane, carbon dioxide and water formation. 90% of methane yield takes
place at this stage, 70% from acetic acid. Thus, acetic acid formation (3rd step) is the factor
that defines the speed of methane formation.

One and two stages process

Hydrolysis Hydrolysis Hydrolysis

reactor

Oxidation Digest Oxidation

er

Acetic acid Acetic acid

formation formation
Digester
Methanoge Methanoge
nesis nesis

26
In most cases such processes take place simultaneously it means that there is no boundaries
for place and duration of decomposition. Such technology is called two stages technology.
For fermentation of rapidly decomposable raw materials in pure state two stage technology
required. For example, chicken dung, distillery slop shouldn’t be recycled in one digester. In
order to process those substrates hydrolysis reactor is needed. Such reactor allows control
over the acidity and alkalinity level in order to avoid bacteria collapse and increase methane
yield.

For successful lifecycle of all microorganisms inside the digester special conditions must be
secured. Mandatory factors for that are the following:

Anaerobic environment- active functioning of bacteria is possible only in oxygen free

conditions.
Biogas plant design takes that into consideration.

Humidity - bacteria can live, feed and propagate only in moist conditions.

Temperature - the optimum temperature for mode for all bacteria groups is 35-40о С range.
Human is not able to control this, that is why it is done by automatic control system.

Fermentation period - The quantity of produced biogas is different within the fermentation
period. In the beginning of fermentation, it is more intensive then at the end of it. Then comes
the moment when further biomass presence in the digester is economically unfeasible. Our
specialists rest upon long-term experience while calculating fermentation period efficiency.

рН level - hydrolysis and oxidation bacteria can live in acid environment with pH level 4.5-
6.3 while methane and acetic acid formation bacteria can exist only in low alkalinity
environment with pH 6.8-8. All the bacteria kinds have tendency to suspend their activity in
case pH level is higher of the optimum hence the biogas production suspends as well. That is
why the best pH level 7 should be maintained.

27
Even substrate feed - the by-products of each group of bacteria lifecycles are the nutrients
for other bacteria group. The all work with different speed. The bacteria should not overfeed
as they hardly be able to produce nutrients for another group. That is why the substrate feed is
calculated and programmed for each project carefully.

Nutrients supply - bacteria provided with all necessary nutrients that are contained in
substrate so the only thing is needed is constant substrate supply. Substrate contains vitamins,
soluble ammonia compounds, microelements and heavy metals in small quantities. Nickel,
cobalt, molybdenum, wolfram and ferrum are required by bacteria for enzyme formation and
are also present in substrates.

Particle size - The smaller the better rule is working here. Bacteria size 1/1000 mm the
smaller the substrate particles the easier the decomposition made by bacteria. Fermentation
period becomes shorter and biogas production faster. If necessary additional substrate
disintegration should be done before substrate feed into reactor.

Mixing - is important not only to avoid floating cork and sediment formation but also for
biogas extraction (mixers help bubbles to go up the digester). Mixers work constantly in a
bacterium preserving mode.

Process stability - microorganisms are used to certain feed other modes.

Any changes should be done smoothly.

Avoid getting into reactor antibiotics, chemical and disinfection means, big quantities of
heavy metals. Our specialists can advise you on that.
The end product of biological treatment is:

• biogas (methane not less than 55%, carbon dioxide not more than 45%, hydrogen sulphide
not more than 2%, hydrogen not more than 1%);
• fermented substrate as fermentation residue, consisting of water, cellulose residues,
small quantity of bacteria and organic nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium etc.).

28
 Waste Management System in India

Waste management market comprises of four segments - Municipal Waste, Industrial Waste,
Bio- Medical Waste and Electronic Waste Market. All these four types of waste are governed
by different laws and policies as is the nature of the waste. In India waste management
practice depend upon actual waste generation, primary storage, primary collection, secondary
collection and transportation, recycling activity, Treatment and disposal. In India,
municipality corporations play very important role in waste management in each city along
with public health department. Municipal Corporation is responsible for the management of
the MSW generated in the city, among its other duties. The public health department is
responsible for sanitation, street cleansing, epidemic control and food adulteration. There is a
clear and strong hierarchy of posts in the Municipal Corporation. The highest authority of
Municipal Corporation rests with the mayor, who is elected to the post for tenure of five
years. Under the Mayor, there is a City Commissioner. Under the city commissioner, there is
Executive Officer who supervises various departments such as public health, water works,
public works, house tax, lights, projection tax, demand and a workshop, which, in turn, all are
headed by their own department heads. The staffs in the public health department are as
follows: Health officer, Chief sanitary and food inspector, Sanitary and food inspectors,
Sanitary supervisor, Sweepers, etc.

29
The entire operation of solid waste management (SWM) system is performed under four
headings, namely, street cleansing, collection, transportation and disposal. The cleansing and
collection operations are conducted by the public health department of city Municipality
Corporation, while transportation and disposal of waste are carried out by the transportation
department of city Municipality Corporation. The entire city can be divided in to different
zones. These zones are further divided into different sanitary wards for the purpose of solid
waste collection and transport operations. Currently waste management in India mostly
means a picking up waste from residential and industrial areas and dumping it at landfill sites.
The authorities, usually municipal, are obligated to handle solid waste generated within their
respective boundaries; the usual practice followed is of lifting solid waste from the point of
generation and hauling to distant places known as dumping grounds and/or landfill sites for
discarding. The treatment given to waste once thus emptied is restricted to spreading the heap
over larger space so as to take away the waste from the public gaze. Waste collection is
usually done on a contract basis. In most cities it is done by rag pickers, small- time
contractors and municipalities

Waste Collection in India:

Primarily by the city municipality

• No gradation of waste product e.g. bio-degradable, glasses, poly bags, paper shreds etc.

• Dumps these wastes to the city outskirts Local raddiwala / kabadiwala (Rag pickers)

• Collecting small iron pieces by magnets

• Collecting glass bottles

• Collecting paper for recycling In Delhi - MCD- Sophisticated DWM (Delhi Waste
Management) vehicle

30
There are different sweepers employed in street sweeping and primary waste collection in
each city. Each sweeper is responsible for the daily cleansing of a fixed area, usually a street
including all side lanes. Domestic solid waste is usually thrown on the streets directly or in
plastic bags from where road sweepers collect it into heaps. These wastes are then transported
by hand-cart trolley to the nearby open dumps or to bins, or directly by tractor trolley to the
out-skirt of the cities. The road sweepers are equipped with a broom, pan, shovel), hand-carts,
Panji (small pointed hand-rake), gaiety (pointed small spade to clean road-side open drains)
and buckets. The waste from street cleansing is collected in wheelbarrows and thereafter; it is
dumped into roadside bins or at open dumping space along with household waste. Municipal
workers collect waste from collection points (open dumping spaces or bins) into various
vehicles including tractors and bull carts and haul it to disposal sites. In some cases, the
workers collect the MSW from the collection points using Chhabra (wooden baskets) and
transfer it into the vehicles manually. Normally, bull carts make only one or two trips a day to
the final disposal site; a tractor makes two or three trips per day whereas refuse
collectors/dumper placers make four trips. Finally recycling and reuse takes place by
recycling units in different cities. Recycling is related to processing of a

waste item into usable forms. The concept of recycling and reuse is well embedded in India
largely due to prevailing socio-economic conditions and partly due to traditional practices. In
India some cities have become a hub for recycling activities as considerable amounts of
recyclable materials also come from adjoining towns and villages. Recycling industry mainly
process paper, plastic, glass and metals. But recycling is not a solution to all problems. It is
not a solution to managing every kind of waste material. For many items recycling
technologies are unavailable or unsafe. In some cases, cost of recycling is too high. Recycling

31
forms a big part of informal sector engaged in solid waste management. Waste recycling has,
in fact, both organized and unorganized sections. The lower segments working as waste and
dump-pickers, itinerant waste buyers, and small traders come under the unorganized segment,
while

the big traders, wholesalers and manufacturers come under the organized segment of the
waste-recycling sector.

Waste Management Initiatives in India

During the recent past, the management of solid waste has received considerable attention
from the Central and State Governments and local (municipal) authorities in India. A number
of partnerships/alliances are found to exist in the field of solid waste management in Indian
cities. These alliances are public-private, community-public and private-private
arrangements. To identify the status of existing alliances in the study area, it is first necessary
to identify the various actors working in the field of waste management.

These actors can be grouped as under:

• Public sector: this comprises of local authority and local public departments at city level;

• Private-formal sector: this constitutes large and small registered enterprises doing
collection, transport, treatment, and disposal and recycling;

• Private-informal sector: this constitutes the small-scale, no recognized private sector and
comprises of waste-pickers, dump pickers, itinerant-waste buyers, traders and non-registered
small-scale enterprises; and

• Community representatives in the form of NGOs, etc. These actors enter into partnerships
for providing various activities related to solid waste management. These partnerships can be
as follows:

• public-private (Local Authority and private enterprises);

• public-community (Local Authority and NGOs); etc

32
• private-private (waste-pickers, itinerant-waste buyers, waste traders and dealers,
wholesalers, small scale and large-scale recycling enterprises); and

• Public-private-community (Local Authority, private enterprises and NGOs).

National Solid Waste Association of India (NSWAI) is the only leading professional non-
profit organization in the field of Solid Waste Management including Toxic and Hazardous
Waste and also Biomedical Waste in India. It was formed on January 25, 1996. NSWAI helps
the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), New Delhi in various fields of solid waste
management makes policies and action plans and is entrusted the responsibility of collecting
information and various data related to solid waste management from the municipalities of
Urban Class-I cities(population more than 1Lakh) and Urban Class-II cities(population above
50,000), collate and disseminate the information to website which is linked to national and
international organizations. The association is a member of the International Solid Waste
Association (ISWA), Copenhagen, Denmark and provides forum for exchange of information
and expertise in the field of Solid Waste Management at the national and international level.
The other regulatory framework for waste management is related to Indian government
Initiatives for waste management under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission
(JNNURM), Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small & Medium Towns
(UIDSSMT), “Recycled Plastics Manufacture and Usage Rules (1999) amended and now
known as The Plastics Manufacture and Usage (Amendment) Rules (2003), “Draft
Guidelines for Sanitation in Slaughter Houses (1998)” by Central Pollution Control Board
(CPCB), Non-biodegradable Garbage (Control) Ordinance, 2006, Municipal Solid Wastes
(Management and Handling) Rules, 2000, etc. At the national policy level, the ministry of
environment and forests has legislated the Municipal Waste Management and Handling Rules
2000. This law details the practices to be followed by the various municipalities for managing
urban waste. Other recent policy documents include the Ministry of Urban Affairs’ Shukla
Committee’s Report (January 2000) the Supreme Court appointed Burman Committee’s
Report (March 1999), and the Report of the National Plastic Waste Management Task Force
(August 1997). In order to get a sense of the current status of sanitation in India's cities, a
survey was initiated by the Ministry of Urban Development as a part of the National Rating
and Award Scheme for Sanitation in Indian Cities. The methods used for the survey can be
found on the Ministry of Urban Development website. The Government of India announced

33
the National Urban Sanitation Policy (NUSP) in 2008. As a part of this, the government
proposes to encourage states to develop their own sanitation strategies to tackle their own
sanitation problems and meet the goals of the NUSP. The rating and award scheme has been
taken up under this policy initiative. The first major initiative was taken by the Honourable
Supreme Court of India in 1998, which resulted in formation of an expert committee to study
the status of SWM in Indian cities. This Committee identified the deficiencies/gaps in the
existing SWM system in the country and prepared the Interim Report in 1999 on SWM
Practices for few cities. As a second major initiative, in conformance with Sections 3, 6 and
25 of the Environment Protection Act of 1986, and on the basis on the recommendations by
the Committee, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) of the Government of
India, developed and issued Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules
(MoUD, 2000). These rules aim at standardization and enforcement of SWM practices in
urban areas. These rules dictate that “Every municipal authority shall, within the territorial
area of the municipality, be responsible for the implementation of the provisions of these
rules and infrastructure development for collection, storage segregation, transportation,
processing and disposal of municipal solid wastes”. The municipal authorities are further
required to submit a detailed annual report on waste management to the Secretary-in charge
of the Department of Urban Development of the concerned State in case of a metropolitan
city; or to the District Magistrate or the Deputy Commissioner concerned in case of all other
towns and cities every year. As per NSWAI, there are 303 projects till September 2009
running in the country related to waste management, environment and others. The CPCB in
collaboration with National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur
has undertaken a detailed survey of 59 cities in the country to assess the existing status of
solid waste management in these cities (MoEF –India). The objective of the survey was to
assess the compliance status of 59 cities with Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and
Handling) Rules, 2000 and initiatives taken for improving solid waste management practices.
The 59 cities selected for study cover 35 metro cities. It has been observed that initiatives for
collection of waste from house-to-house and waste segregation has been undertaken in only
seven cities, privatization of transportation of waste has been done in 11 cities and waste
processing facilities have been set up in 15 cities. Ten waste processing facilities are based on
composting; one of these composting facilities has provision for energy recovery also, four
are based on vermin-compositing, and one facility employs palletisation and energy recovery
technology. In relation to hospital waste the Government of India (Notification, 1998)
specifies that Hospital Waste Management is part of hospital hygiene and maintenance

34
activities. This involves management of a range of activities, which are mainly engineering
functions, such as collection, transportation, operation/treatment of processing systems, and
disposal of waste. If the infectious component gets mixed with the general non-infectious
waste, the entire mass becomes potentially infectious. Before the notification of Bio-Medical
Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 1998, now amended, waste from houses,
streets, shops, offices, industries and hospitals was the responsibility of municipal or
governmental authorities, but now it has become mandatory for hospitals, clinics, other
medical institutions and veterinary institutions to dispose of bio-medical solid waste as per
the Law. Besides all these initiatives Delhi Waste Management (DWM) was formed in 2004
as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) in the Public Private Partnership (PPP) format for
collection, segregation and transportation to landfill sites of municipal waste. Over 1000
employees are employed as a part of this initiative. The overall initiatives related to waste
management in India can be summed up as follows in the table 1.

35
36
37
Initiatives taken by Private Companies
There are various private companies that are providing complete solutions for waste
management. For example, Subhash Projects and Marketing Limited (SPML) is a leading
Engineering and Infrastructure development organization with 26 years in Water, Power and
Infrastructure. Today SPML is surging ahead in Urban Infrastructure, Solid Waste
Management, Water and Waste Water Systems, Cross Country Pipelines, Ports and SEZs,
through BOOT/PPP initiatives. “SPML Enviro” is an integrated environment solution
provider arm of Subhash Projects and Marketing Limited (SPML). It provides complete
solution in relation to collection, transportation & disposal of municipal / hazardous waste,
segregation and recycling of municipal waste, construction & management of sanitary
landfill, construction & operation of compost plant and waste to energy plant at the Delhi
airport and Hyderabad Airport. SPML Enviro has invested in the necessary resources and
partnerships to provide solid and water treatment solutions. It expertise includes solid waste-
to-resources’ solutions – universal, industrial and medical waste. SPML Enviro has teamed up
with PEAT International, North Illinois, USA, a waste-to-resources company specializing in
treating and converting waste to usable resources. PEAT's proprietary Plasma Thermal
Destruction Recovery (PTDR) technology is an environmentally friendly process, that
converts wastes into non-toxic synthetic gas (which is a valuable source of alternative energy)
and other useful end-products. The PTDR is a proven, cost-effective, environmentally clean
and commercially viable solution for waste remediation. SPML Enviro together with its joint-
venture partners, has proven capabilities to successfully execute projects on turn-key basis
involving Okhla sewage treatment plant, Delhi Jal Board, Bawana common effluent
treatment, Delhi State Industrial Development Corporation, Delhi State Industrial
Development Corporation, Yelahanka primary/tertiary sewage treatment plant, Bangalore
Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Okhla common effluent treatment plant, Sewage
treatment plant, Mysore, Karnataka water supply and sewerage board, etc. SPML has also
formed a joint venture with the US based Company INSITUFORM Technologies (INC.).
INSITUFORM is a pioneer in sewer rehabilitation projects worldwide. The Company brings
with them a No Dig Technology, that eliminates replacement of old sewers. In this, pipe
within a pipe concept - a liner is inserted into the sewer, which makes it as good as new.

Initiatives taken by Indian corporate

38
In India, there are various initiatives taken by many corporations. For example, HCL Info
system believes that the producers of electronic goods are responsible for facilitating an
environmentally friendly disposal, once the product has reached the end of its life. HCL Info
system supports the ongoing initiative for separate e-waste legislation in India. HCL has been
working on an easy, convenient and safe programme for recycling of e-waste in India. HCL
has created the online process of e-waste recycling request registration, where customers
(both individual and corporate) can register their requests for disposal of their e-waste. Apart
from corporate customers, HCL has extended its e-waste collection program to retail
customers also through its HCL Touch spread points spread across the country HCL extends
the recycling facility to its users regardless of the fact, when and where they purchased the
product. To promote recycling of electronic waste, Nokia India launched a 'Take Back'
campaign where customers can drop their old handset in the company’s stores and win gifts.
The take-back campaign is aimed at educating mobile phone users on the importance of
recycling e-waste. As a part of this initiative, Nokia encourage mobile phone users to dispose
their used handsets and accessories such as charges and handsets, regardless of the brand, at
any of the recycling bins set up across Nokia Priority Dealers and Nokia Care Centres. ITC
Ltd has chosen energy management, environmental & waste management and social & farm
forestry as major focus areas for CSR. Specific processes include recycling/reuse of paper
mill back water for dilution of bleached pulp, recycling of paper machine primary clarifier
outlet water for miscellaneous uses, etc. These are few examples to show that Indian
corporate is not behind in producing initiatives related to waste management.

Suggestions for future improvement

The political will is the first priority. Generally, Government bodies and municipalities give
priority to present problems which they face but do not think for future problems due to
environmental decay. Their view is that, they will solve problems when they will face it but
not now. Because doing something for environment does not provide political gains or assure
next time seat. Now questions are that how can we change this mentality? We believe there
should be a positive approach for a long-time planning and implementation. Legislation and

39
its effective enforcement are a key to sustainability for which the framework requires to be
established. Efforts to improve waste storage and collection are required. This can be done
when each household and locality are provided standard bins that are placed outside for ease
of collection. In areas where this is not appropriate, centrally located waste collection points
should be established that are shared by a number of households. Wastes need to be
increasingly sorted at the source, to separate materials that can be recycled and to reduce the
number of wastes requiring collection and disposal. Co-operation is required among
communities, the informal sector, the formal waste collectors and the authorities. An effective
Solid Waste Management system should aim at minimizing manual handling and 100 %
collection & transportation of solid wastes should be achieved. In solid waste management,
one thing became very clear that segregation at source is to be practiced. There are lots of
initiatives to manage wastes but goes in vain because of not identifying wealth in wastes. In
India, we cannot afford sanitary land filling as land is precious here and there are lot of
municipalities who do not have land as trenching ground. The source segregation needs lot of
study on human behaviour against waste littering. A continuous sensitization programme is to
be planned according to the sentiments of the residents towards their city and ultimately it
will work as wonders. If waste segregation is practiced, the potential threats can be
minimized directly. Besides, the quality of materials retrieved will be better due to absence of
mixing. The pickers can thus, fetch better money on the materials retrieved besides having
lesser threats of catching diseases, cuts and wounds encountered in the usual practice of
waste picking. The adoption and transfer of the technologies from the developed countries
without adapting them to the local or regional perspective would be fallacious on the part of
the developing countries. Therefore, the technical aspects for a waste management would
have to take into account many points for planning and implementation of strategies
according to situation of the country. It would call for the strengthening of the management
sector which has to go hand in hand with technical planning. General public can play a very
important role. Public participation is necessary for a proper waste management system.
Changes in the habits of segregation, littering, can change the approach towards wastes. For
example, in a heritage town of West Bengal, there was a movement related to waste
management. Within a span of two years, it successfully sensitized residents for segregation
at source and not littering in open areas. Now the city is really becoming clean and other
people are also participating in the movement. In order to improve the system efficiency and
increase the coverage to 100 percent in each city, it is recommended to explore alternative
arrangements for collection of waste like involving private operators. A mechanism to

40
generate revenue from the citizens should also be developed. However, the approach to
public-private partnerships pursued in the developed countries cannot be replicated for Indian
towns in general. This approach can only be implemented after some modifications taking
into account the local conditions. There may be separate parallel decentralized schemes by
the government. Financial support by the community based on decentralized schemes will
provide the right impetus for the development of waste management method. For example,
the municipality of Bangalore has a parallel scheme, “Swachh Bangalore”, which levies
mandatory fees for all households, businesses and educational institutions to increase its
financial resources. These user fees imply that the residents will expect the municipality to
provide proper waste collection services. It integrates them into the overall waste
management strategy in all localities thereby helping to reduce the number of wastes going
outside the locality. The levying of waste collection and disposal fees should be based on
waste generation rates and according to the economic standard of the area, whilst considering
the nature of the waste wherever necessary. However, these fees should not be levied solely
to meet the financial lacunae for management and the equipment demand. In India waste
management could materialize only if service delivery will be linked to private sector
participation. “It is imperative that the private sector comes forward and enables the public
sector stakeholders to devise appropriate frameworks that result in a win-win for both sides.”
Although there are some initiatives taken by corporate but there are strong needs that all
corporate must come forward to take first step. At least they should manage their industrial
waste rather littering and throwing in the rivers as we can find many examples in Indian cities
like Kanpur, Varanasi, Agra, etc. The private sector could also play an important role in
building the capacities of municipal bodies. Solid waste management, along with recycling,
presents plenty of opportunities for partnerships. For example, EXNORA is an NGO in
Chennai that focuses on the environment through their solid waste management program,
which works in municipalities throughout Tamil Nadu. In fact, despite the lack of proper
legal and financial support by public agencies, the informal sector has a firm standing and
gives an invaluable service to a large section of the society in relation to waste management.
There is an urgent need to understand the vital role of this informal sector engaged in
municipal solid waste management, study their socio-economic conditions, and to integrate
them with the formal sector to achieve sustainable solid waste management on one hand and
improve their living conditions on the other. The possible future policy options available with
the policy makers for management of municipal solid waste are to promote either/all of the
existing alliances between private-private enterprises, private-public enterprises and private-

41
public-community. The selected scenario should be based on socio-economic, environmental
and health considerations. It should fulfil the basic goal of recycling the maximum waste
generated, creating maximum employment through cleaner methods without bringing any
threat/reducing the potential health hazards to the lower rung of the waste recycling sector
and improving their socio-economic conditions, as well. Another option is to promote
formation of micro-enterprises among the waste-recycling sector through various policies. It
is observed from various case studies of developing countries like Latin America, Egypt, etc.
that if waste pickers and recyclers get official recognition from the local authorities and they
organize themselves and institutionalize their activities, there is an overall improvement in
the living conditions of these people. Micro-enterprises in the field of solid waste
management sector are a new process in India and only few examples are available. The Self-
Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Ahmedabad, India successfully improved the
living conditions of women paper pickers, by organizing them into cooperatives and by
searching for easily accessible raw materials in bulk quantity. There are several missing links
and many loose ends both in terms of management, technology and professional skill. The
solutions need thorough understanding, for example, deployment of competent persons
qualified in solid waste management (real hard taskmasters and not people who turn up with
a handkerchief to cover their nose to keep the stink away), application of efficient
combination of waste handling equipment’s in cost effective manner and streamlining of the
handling of waste at various stages throughout its journey from source of generation to
ultimate safe disposal site, without intermediate dumping and accumulation of waste for days
together. A flawless continuous flow sheet of waste management has to be developed.
Matching financial support, discipline and attitudinal change in all concerned will obviously
be the key for effective and successful waste management in India. In India the landfill,
sometimes described as `sanitary landfill’, does not go beyond filling up of low-lying areas
with stinking waste conveniently bypassing the recommended requirements for `sanitary
landfill’. In the end, anything that is emptied at dumping or landfill sites continues to cause
serious environmental depredation. The developed countries do boast that they handle their
waste in a more scientific manner at landfill sites by laying the dumping grounds with a
vulcanized plastic sheet to avoid leaching of toxic digested and undigested waste into the
ground underneath. In our countries authorities practicing landfill do declare that they
assiduously implement requirements for recommended landfill to assuage citizen concern.
The quantum of solid waste is ever increasing due to many reasons. Plastics waste is a
significant portion of the total municipal solid waste (MSW). Recycling of plastics should be

42
carried in such a manner to minimize the pollution level during the process and as a result to
enhance the efficiency of the process and conserve the energy. Newer techniques related to
recycling and reuse of plastic can be adopted. Any new paradigm should include a cradle-to-
grave approach with responsibility being shared by many stakeholders, including product
manufacturers, consumers, communities, the recycling industry, trade, municipalities and the
urban poor. The Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation, as well as
Agriculture, should develop the market for compost, and if required provide subsidies for
compost manure – first to provide organic soil nutrients to the farmers and to solve the urban
waste problem which continuously is polluting land through uncontrolled dumping.

In order to make proper waste management activity sustain in true sense, following other
points need to be given attention to –

1) Region specific planning: Looking at the geographical, topographical and cultural diversity
of the country it can be divided into five regions such as Northern region, Eastern region,
Western region, Central region and Southern region. Each of these regions has different
structure. Hence all the activities should be planned & implemented on regional basis.

2) Planning from below: To make Solid Waste Management a success in true sense, the
planning as well as implementation should start from general public level planning followed
by block level planning, district level planning and state level planning.

3) Involvement of self-help groups, youth groups and small entrepreneurs: The general public
level waste management units can be run by self-help groups, youth groups or small
entrepreneurs. This will help in making the programme self-supportive and sustainable.

4) Well planned and effective training policy: Technical training at all levels (General public
to state) forms the backbone of a successful waste management programme. Adequate
training must be given to all those concerned prior to actual launching of the programme in
the field.

43
Electronic Waste

E-waste which is also called e-scrap is currently the largest growing waste stream which
comprises discarded electrical or electronic devices and is the waste generated from various
used household appliances. These gadgets are now not fit for their original use and are
intended for recycling or disposal. Electronic devices such as mobile phones, laptops,
computers, etc. can be included in e-waste. Small household appliances like toasters, iron,
heaters, etc., and large household appliances like washing machines, air conditioners, etc. are
a few products that come under e-waste. Today with the rapid increase in the use of
technology and innovation, there is also an increase in the manufacturing and usage of these
electronic products. Because of having large consumption, there is an issue of its disposal.
McAllister (2013) in her study claims that “Around 40 million metric tons of electronic waste
(e-waste) are produced globally each year, and about 13 percent of that weight is recycled
mostly in developing countries” (McAllister, 2013). It is hazardous, complex, and expensive
to treat e-waste in an environmentally sound manner, and there is a general lack of legislation
or enforcement surrounding it. These products are made of toxic and harmful substances
which cause harm to the environment and to human health. So it’s important to have safe and
proper disposal of these electronic items.

44
E-waste is not only an issue but also a great business opportunity because this e-waste not
only consists of harmful and toxic substances but also several valuable materials and metals.
According to Widmer (2005) metals such as gold, iron, copper, etc. are found in many
electronic products, which around 60% and other toxic pollutants are 2.70% (Widmera, et al.,
2005). Recovery of these metals will reduce the demand for mining heavy metals and will
reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing virgin materials (Cifani, 2017).
Hence e-waste management is an important aspect not only from an environmental point of
view but also for obtaining these valuable materials. Both developed and underdeveloped
countries face problems with e-waste management.

These issues related to e-waste have become an urgent and long-term concern as it’s an
unregulated process that would lead to major damage to the environment and human health
(McAllister, 2013). Thus, managing e-waste has become a need for both economic growth
and enhancing the quality of life.

E-Waste in India
Electronic waste is the largest growing waste stream in India. Before 2011, there was no
separate e-waste collection in India. There is no definite data that defines the quantity of
waste generated in India (Agnihotri, 2011). There are estimations based on independent
studies. As per the CII report, the total e-waste generated by obsolete electronic products in
India until 2005 has been estimated to be 1, 46,000 tons per year (CII, 2006). Manish and
Chakraborty (2019) in their study claim that around 7.2 MT of waste is generated from
industries, 1.5 MT of plastic waste, 1.7 MT of medical waste, 48 MT of municipal waste, and
approximately 4 lakh tones of e-waste are generated in India every year (Manish &
Chakraborty, 2019).

As per Manish and Chakraborty (2019) since 2005, there are around ten states that contribute
to 70% of the total e-waste generated in the country. The ten largest e-waste generating states
are Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi,
Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Punjab (Manish & Chakraborty, 2019).

Developing countries like India not only produce e-waste from their internal consumers but
also from various other developed countries. According to McAllister (2013) around 70% of
e-waste managed in India is from other developed countries. UNEP had also estimated that e-

45
waste between 2007 and 2020 would be doubled (McAllister, 2013). Making this true since
2018, India has produced around 2 million tons of e-waste annually (Manish & Chakraborty,
2019). In India, the whole e-waste management process is divided into various stages which
include collection, transportation, separation, processing, and recycling. All these stages are
majorly governed by the networked but unregulated informal sector. Because of this, the
value that could be potentially recovered is not obtained. This process involves processes
such as acid-leaching and open incineration. These informal channels have connections with
the used product dealers, repair shops, e-commerce portal vendors who collect these
discarded electronic parts and components for reusing these parts (Manish & Chakraborty,
2019).

Sources and Composition of E-waste in India

In India, E-waste generation comes from multiple sources such as institutional sectors,
manufacturing, household, government, and commercial sectors. As per Chatterjee here
government and private sector account for 70% whereas the household is 15% and another
contribution is from manufacturers (Chatterjee, n.d.). Authors Manish & Chakraborty (2019)
claim in their study that computers and their components contribute to 70% of their E-waste.
Followed by mobile phones at 12%, electrical equipment at 8%, medical equipment at 7%,
and household e-waste remaining (Manish & Chakraborty, 2019).

E-waste compositions are diverse and can be classified into hazardous and non-hazardous
compositions. It consists of iron, plastics, wood, glass, PCBs, and other metals. Chatterjee
claims that “Iron and steel constitute about 50% of the waste, followed by plastics (21%),
non-ferrous metals (13%) and other constituents” (Chatterjee, n.d.). All these compositions
are valuable as they can be reused and they come under non-hazardous compositions. E-
waste also consists of compositions like lead, arsenic, mercury, and other toxic metals that are
flammable and hazardous. It is important to follow regulatory measures and safety standards
when treating these hazardous components.

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E-waste recycling practices in India
E-waste especially consists of motherboards, pc video show units, cellular phones and
chargers, television, headphones, fridge, air conditioner, and so forth. In step with the
worldwide e-waste reveal 2017, it may be said that there may be a technology of two million
plenty of e-waste that may be said as the fifth rank inside the entire globe that has produced
e-waste after America, Japan, China, and Germany. The quantity of e-waste that is handled
with the aid of way of India is at best zero.036 MT (Bhat and Patil, 2021). It is able to be said
that 90 in step with cent of the e-waste in India is recycled in the form of informal vicinity
that may be stated crudely. Inside the international financial machine, it is able to be stated
that the Western circulate has reached about 48. Five in 2018 and it is able to be expected that
it'll double the amount if the scenario stays the same as in keeping with the file in
2019(Chaudhary and Vrat, 2018).

Management of law with concern to e-waste has been placed in India from 2011 that have
mandatory authorization for dismantlers and recycling to collect the e-waste. According to
the e-waste management rules it can be stated that approximately twenty-one products are
included in this rule that is required to be enlisted in the e-waste category (Conde mi and

47
Schettini, 2019). E-waste can be considered as an enhancement of the compound annual
growth rate which is approximately 30% in India. ASSOCHAM is considered an Apex Trade
organization of India that mainly estimates the generation of e-waste that was approximately
1.8 MT per annum since 2016 and it will be enhanced to 5.2 MT per annum in 2020
(Chinmereet al. 2019).

 Initiatives for Awareness of building e-waste management

According to the "Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology or MeitY," it can be

stated that initiatives that are taken against E-waste in India can be considered under the
awareness program under digital India. There is a requirement of understanding the
association of industries' hazardous awareness towards E-waste for the public about the
hazard that may occur without recycling the E-waste (Condemi and Schettini, 2019). In India,
different awareness programs and campaigns are being held to educate the people to
understand the alternate method that may be implemented to dispose of their e-waste.

It can be stated that the program dresses out on adopting the environmentally friendly
recycling practices that are available against E-waste. Different adoptions can be observed
with the help of recycling that is available globally for the e-waste which also helps to
generate jobs as well as enhance the prospects of local businesses (Devi et al. 2019). It is
required to understand that there should be enhancement of the campaigns that would help
the public to understand the hazards that may affect the environment and health at the same
time. Enhancing their knowledge of the effects of e-waste that is also affecting children can
help the public to understand its exact danger level (Fayustov, 2020).

 Development of Technologies for e-waste recycling

Affordable technologies are available in the market for the recycling of valuable plastics and
materials to make them environmentally friendly. Including exclusive Technologies to recycle
the PCB that is 1000 kg per day that is required to be processed under acceptable norms of
the environment. Buy continuous enhancement of the process of suitable e-waste processing

48
that will help to create an Eco- Park in India (Fayustov, 2020). E-waste contains
approximately 25% of the plastic that can also be considered as a conversion and novel
recovery of e-waste plastic that is implemented in value-added products is also successful in
India.

It can be stated that there is a requirement for high-grade materials to be implemented in

electrical utensils by implementing Silver, Gold, Copper, and Platinum. E-waste management
there should be an implementation in an appropriate condition that there will be resale
options for the electronics in case of any issue of waste materials implementation. There is an
implementation of high potential augmenting for recycling e-waste in India (Devi et al.
2018). Some important forward movements are taken by India to enhance e-waste reduction
including awareness campaigns, human capital, skill development, and introduction to
technology for managing e-waste.

 Regulations

It is important to understand that different regulations are present in India to control pollution
and that it is implemented to ensure that there is proper management of e-waste in the
country. E-waste handling and management rules of 2011 mainly state that there should be
proper importers and manufacturers of electronic goods that would manage electronic waste
appropriately (Fayustov, 2020). Importance and producers were required to produce
appropriate collection centres for E-waste that will help to another is the amount of us that is
delivered from the organization. E-waste management rules of 2016 have stated that the
duties of the parties are required to enact appropriately by maintaining the regulations that are
based on the production of e-waste (Devi et al. 2019).

It also states that there should be a general definition that should be cleared for the e-waste
and maintained appropriately. There is a requirement of understanding the electronic and
electrical equipment that is required for the customers that will help to reject from the
manufacturing industries 17 to maintain environmental sustainability (Gupta et al. 2018). E-
waste management rule amended in 2018 certain aspects is amended in this rule that has
focused on the collection of e-waste targets with approximately 10% from 2017 to 2018.
From 2018 to 2019 there will be approximately 20% and 30% in 2019-2020 and so on
(George et al. 2019). This amended rule was required to randomly select the equipment for
the test of e-waste that has to be reduced in the manufacturing industries

49
 Impacts of E-waste
Various impacts can be seen due to no proper management of electronic waste on the
environment and human health. As per McAllister (2013) “Informal recycling markets in
China, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, and the Philippines handle anywhere from 50 percent to 80
percent of this e-waste, often shredding, burning, and dismantling the products in their
backyards” (McAllister, 2013). This has a great impact on the environment and human health.

As discussed previously, the majority of recyclers in India are from informal sectors which
have no regulated processes. An example of this is exposure to toxic metals such as lead and
mercury. These metals are burned in the open air to obtain gold. Sepúlveda (2019) argues that
“Combustion from burning of this e-waste creates fine 12 particulates matter, which is linked
to pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases” (Sepúlveda, et al., 2010). E-waste consists of
heavy metals, POPs, and flame substances. E-waste has three main groups of substances, they
are original constituents of equipment which include lead and mercury, substances like
cyanide are added during recovery processes of valuable metals, and a few substances are
formed by recycling processes such as dioxins. There is an urgent need for proper handling of
these toxic substances leakage due to dumping activities. Dismantling leads to particulate
matter, wastewater, burning of mercury lead to harmful fumes and air pollution (Sepúlveda,
et al., 2010). Now the workers working in these places and the local people are exposed to
hazardous diseases (Agnihotri, 2011).

In India complex processes are used which include recycling processes where manual
disassembling and acid attractions from metals are done. Here workers are exposed to
harmful substances which effects their health such as “high incidences of birth defects, infant
mortality, tuberculosis, blood diseases, anomalies in the immune system, malfunctioning of
the kidneys and respiratory system, lung cancer, underdevelopment of the brain in children
and damage to the nervous and blood systems” (Agnihotri, 2011) (Prakash & Manhart, 2010).

Landfilling of e wastes can lead to the leaching of lead into the groundwater. Trick (2002)
claims that “The cadmium from one mobile phone battery is enough to pollute 600 m3 of

50
water” (Trick, 2002). 18 This cadmium then leaks into the surrounding soil. If not managed
carefully, they pose a significant risk to humans and the environment

EPR in India
Extended Producer Responsibility was introduced by the Indian government to facilitate a
reverse collection mechanism and recycling of end-of-life. Its major aim is to circle it back
into the system to recover resources embedded in the system. This law enforces
responsibilities on the government, manufacturers, producers, and consumers. These
responsibilities are discussed below.

1 Government's Responsibility

The EPR rule in India has handed over the responsibility to the state government for
monitoring the manufacturers, producers, and recyclers to ensure that standards are followed
and also those they meet the targets of collection of e-waste (Anon., 2018). The state
government also needs to ensure proper allocation of industrial space for having proper e-
waste practices such as dismantling and recycling (Sharma, n.d.).

2 Manufacturer's Responsibility

Manufacturers will have the responsibility to collect e-waste generated during the
manufacturing of any electrical and electronic equipment and channel it for recycling or
disposal. They have to ensure that there is no damage caused to the environment during the
collection and transportation of e-waste. It’s their responsibility to maintain records of the e-
waste generated, handled, and disposed of, these records must be presented to the State
Pollution Control Board (Sharma, n.d.).

51
3 Producer's Responsibility

The producers are responsible for the collection and channelization of e-waste generated from
the ‘end-of-life’ of their products or ‘end-of-life’ products with the same electrical and
electronic products. The channelization of e-waste includes practices such as the collection of
e-waste from the service centres and transporting them to authorized dismantlers or recyclers
(Sharma, n.d.).

4 Consumer's Responsibility

Further, the law also places responsibility on the consumers to protect the environment
against the harm caused by the devices upon their end-of-life under the take-back scheme.
Consumers are responsible for the proper segregation and disposal of e-waste (Sharma, n.d.).

Impact of EPR in the informal sector of India

The success of formal EPR inversely depends on the size of the informal sector. This is
because the informal sector covers 95% of e-waste operations in India. Gupta and Sahay
(2015) state the positive side of the implementation of EPR, as per their analysis, is that
within the first three years of EPR, it has seen that there has been a considerable rise in the
number of registered e-waste processing units. In the year 2010, there were 23 registered
processing units to around 145 in the year 2015. After the implementation of EPR, many
major producers have been connecting with registered and unregistered recycling units. Thus,
shifting towards disposing of their waste through normal channels (Gupta& Sahay, 2015).
This is one such improvement seen due to the implementation of EPR. But authors state that
still several problems remain here. As per their study despite the increase in the number of 20
registered units. Many of these units still are not receiving the right amount of e-waste
indicating that a significant amount of e-waste is diverted towards informal channels. As per
the author as producers fail to give monetary benefits. The practice of disposal to the informal
sector continues. Authors also claim that lack of awareness among consumers could be a
reason for the failure of EPR in India due to the informal sector (Gupta & Sahay, 2015).

52
Other issues seen in EPR implementation in India are that the modalities proposed are not in
line with the accepted principles on which successful EPR systems across the world are
based. EPR in India lacks government and public support. EPR fails to provide a vision of
how the regulation can meet its objective. The biggest issue in managing EPR is the informal
sector which is highly unregulated.

Infrastructure capacity for large e-waste management in India under EPR policy is quite
limited. According to Gaikwad (2019), there are around “178 government-approved e-waste
recycling centres in the country, with a combined capacity of around 400,000 metric tons per
year” (Gaikwad, 2019). The supply chain is poor between the existing centres and the
informal e-waste producers. Only e-waste associated with the formal sector has a better
supply chain. Thus, there is limited infrastructure in India for managing e-waste (Gaikwad,
2019).

In the overall integrity of the concept, EPR is not fully implemented because the informal
sector recycling and collection is rampant and unregulated. EPR in India has seen
improvements but not as expected. Rama Mohana R. Turaga (2019) in his study claims that
India’s e-waste regulation of EPR came into effect in 2012 with further amendments in 2016.
According to his study, these seven years of implementation had a limited impact on the e-
waste management system in India (Rama Mohana R. Turaga, 2019). Thus, EPR in India has
seen improvements but not as expected

Challenges in managing EPR in India

Management of E-waste in India is a big challenge even after having the introduction of EPR
because of many issues and problems occurring in this field. Even after the introduction of
EPR, there is still a challenge to the E-waste economy in the unorganized/ informal sector.

The unorganized or the informal sector usually consists of small and informal businesses that
are not governed or which do not follow any health and environmental regulations. As this
process is unregulated there arise problems like leaching of toxic substances, poor working
conditions of workers, pollutants, and child labour. Challenge is also seen to maintain the
health of the workers as 21 they are exposed to hazardous working conditions. As per
Agnihotri (2011) “The unorganized or the informal sector mainly consists of the urban slums

53
of the metros and mini-metros, where recycling operations are carried out by the unskilled
employees using the most rudimentary methods to reduce cost” (Agnihotri, 2011).

The issue of EPR is that it only concentrates on formal sectors and fails to integrate informal
recyclers. To overcome these informal recyclers, need to be included in the long-term e-waste
management policies of EPR. As per the author “EPR legislation successfully covers the role
of formal recyclers but lacks provide a detailed definite framework on how consumers should
go about disposing of e-waste” (ABCNews, 2011).

As per Gupta and Sahay (2015), the informal sector in India has an issue of an unknown
producer wherein due to no proper regulated method of disposal and collection of e-waste, it
becomes difficult to trace the producers and functioning of an illegal and unregulated market.
In addition to this, a large amount of illegal e-waste is imported into India. Due to these
illegal activities in the informal sector, it is difficult to find producers and follow the EPR
legislation. It becomes difficult to address illegal transboundary movements. The formal
facilities fail to compete with the informal sector as they receive e-waste much less and are
below the capacity to recycle. Authors claim that such challenges and issues of EPR are due
to informal sector doubts about the success of EPR based rules in India (Gupta& Sahay,
2015). Thus, this is the biggest challenge faced in India which needs to be overcome.

Solution to issues of EPR management

A country like India has the world’s 2nd largest population and comes in 4th position for
largest e-waste consumers and management. Authors Manish and Chakraborty (2019) suggest
it is necessary to first recognize local and regional contexts and the social implications of
EPR management issues to have a solution (Manish & Chakraborty, 2019). Thus, discussed
below are the solutions to overcome these e-waste management issues.

1 General Solutions

Effective regulation and provision of incentives must be adopted. This will enable workers to
use legal means to manage e-waste and for central collection. Also, the working conditions of
workers in these areas must be made safe and standardized. According to the authors along

54
with technical solutions, there must also be multidisciplinary solutions as social inequities
inherent in the e-waste business and there must be a transparent recycling system (Manish &
Chakraborty, 2019)

2 Formalization of the informal e-waste recycling sector

Manish and Chakraborty (2019) suggest solutions like the integration of informal sectors into
a transparent system for proper e-waste management in India. One such example given by
them is about an organization called GIZ that had developed a business model and guidelines
that educate informal sectors through proper guidelines. These business models promote a
city-wide collection system feeding the manual dismantling facility and a strategy towards
the best available technology facilities to yield higher revenue from printed circuit boards. By
replacing the traditional wet chemical leaching process for the recovery of gold with the
export to integrated smelters and refineries, safer practices and a higher revenue per unit of e-
waste collected are generated (Manish & Chakraborty, 2019). As the integration of both
sectors is the major focus of this study, a more detailed discussion on this is made further in
this study.

.3 Awareness of Consumers

According to author Rama Mohana R. Turaga (2019), consumers are the key to better
management of e-waste. So, it’s necessary to make them aware of the proper disposal and
management of e-waste. The lack of awareness regarding e-waste and the costs of returning
the end-of-life equipment to formal collection centres are reducing the willingness of
household and institutional consumers to return their waste to the formal sector (Rama
Mohana R. Turaga, 2019). Thus, due to no proper knowledge e-waste is not properly sorted
and gets mixed and burned along with the wet waste. To solve these problems as discussed
previously there are few NGOs that provide awareness but at the same time, the involvement
and integration of the government and these NGOs will help to spread better awareness
among people (Manish & Chakraborty, 2019). Lundgren (2012) discusses how the
government has already introduced the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) strategy but
they should also ensure that the guidelines of this act are also followed. Where, the producers

55
now take the responsibility for the collection, segregation, recycling, and final disposal of the
product. Thus, the producers’ responsibility is extended to the post-consumer stage of the
product life cycle (Lundgren, 2012).

4 Use of Technical methods and Technology

Manufactures and Product development processes must follow Design for Environment
(DFE) which is a design approach used to reduce the impact on human health and on the
environment from a product, process, or service, where its impacts are considered across its
life cycle (Cushman-Roisin, 2020). Consumers need to follow the 3Rs which are Reduce,
Reuse and Recycle. The concept of the circular economy must be followed. Also like in other
developed countries E-waste management in India must be given priority (Lundgren, 2012).

Chatterjee argues that for having an efficient recovery of metals advanced processes and
technologies must be used. Technologies that work with a zero-landfill approach must be
used. Major e-waste producers are informal and the formal sector faces the problem of not
having sufficient input materials. This problem was resolved when MoEF had advised the
government that essential e-waste must be disposed of following the rules. He also states that
it is the duty of the producer to handle these wastes; the government was also advised that the
department’s handling and engaged in e-waste management activities like collection,
segregation, dismantling, and recycling of e-waste must be registered with Central Pollution
Control Board (CPCB) (Chatterjee, n.d.).

Treatment and Disposal of Sludge Solids Introduction Of prime importance in the treatment
of all liquid wastes is the removal of solids both suspended and dissolved. Once these solids
are removed from the liquids, however their disposal becomes a major problem. The
following list contains most of the methods commonly used to deal with sludge solids.

• Anaerobic and Aerobic digestion

• Vacuum filtration

• Drying beds

• Sludge lagoon Ing

• Drying and incineration

56
• Centrifuging

• Landfill Anaerobic and Aerobic digestion:

Anaerobic digestion is a common method of readying sludge solids for final disposal. All
solids settled out in primary, secondary or other basins are pumped to an enclosed air tight
digester, where they decompose in an anaerobic environment. The rate of their decomposition
depends primarily on proper seeding, ph., character of the solids, temperature etc. digestion
serves the dual purpose of rendering the sludge solids readily drainable and converting a
portion of the organic matter to gaseous end products. It may reduce the volume of sludge by
as much as 50% organic matter reduction. After digestion, the sludge is dried and /or burned
or used for fertilizer or landfill. Two main groups of microorganism’s hydrolyte and methane,
carry out digestion. Fermentation (digestion) of organic matter proceeds in two stages:
Hydrolytic action, converting organic matter to low molecular weight organic acids and
alcohols and Evolution of carbon dioxide and the simultaneous reduction to methane (CO2 is
actually consumed). The proper environment for both types of bacteria require a balance
between population of organisms, food supply, temperature, ph., and food accessibility. The
following factors are measures of the 10 effectiveness of digestive action: gas production,
solids balance, B.O.D, acidity and ph., sludge characteristics and odours. The usual unit
capacity requirements may be reduced provided the operations are controlled and carried out
as follows:

• Tank contents must be agitated to maintain an even mixture of raw and digesting solids

• Raw sludge must be added continuously to the digest in unit

• Raw sludge must be concentrated before being added to the digester. Two stage digestion,
with the first stage used primarily for active digestion and the second stage for storage and
sludge consolidation is often carried out in two separate tanks. Vacuum filtration: Vacuum
filtration is a means of dewatering sludge solids. In a typical vacuum filtration unit, a porous
cylinder overlying a series of cells revolves about its axis with a peripheral speed somewhat
less than one foot per minute, its lower portion passing through a trough containing the
sludge to be dried. A vacuum inside the cylinder picks up a layer of sludge as the filter
surface passes through the trough, and this increases the vacuum. When the cylinder has
completed three quarters of revolution a slight air pressure is produced on the appropriate
cells, which aids the scraper or strings to dislodge the sludge in a thin layer. Drying beds:
Sludge drying beds remove moisture from sludge, thereby decreasing its volume and

57
changing its physic-chemical characteristics, so that sludge containing 25% solids can be
moved with a shovel or garden fork and transported in watertight containers. Sludge filter
beds are made up of 12 to 24 inches of coarse sand, well-seasoned (), or even washed grit
from grit chambers and about 12inches coarse gravel beneath the sand. The upper 3 inches of
gravel particles are 1/8th to 1/4th inch diameter. Below the gravel, the earth floor of the bed is
pitched to a slight grade into open joint tile under drains 6 or 8 inches in diameter. Sludge
Lagoon Ing: Lagoons may be defined as natural or artificial earth basins used to receive
sludge. There are many factors to be considered:

• Nature and topography of the disposal area

• Proximity of the site to populated areas

• Soil condition

• Chemical composition of sludges with special considerations given to toxicity and odour
producing constituents. 11 Removal of Organic Dissolved Solid Introduction: The removal of
dissolved organic matter from waste water is one of the most important tasks. These solids
are usually oxidized rapidly by microorganisms in the receiving streams, resulting in loss of
dissolved oxygen and the accompanying ill effects of deoxygenated water. They are difficult
to remove because of the extensive detention time required in biological processes. In
general, biological methods have proved most effective for this phase of waste treatment, and
the greater the bacterial efficiency the greater the reduction of dissolved organic matter. There
are many varieties of biological treatment, each adapted to certain types of waste waters and
local environment conditions. Some specific processes for treating organic matter are:

• Lagoon Ing in oxidation ponds

• Activated sludge process

• Contact stabilization

• Trickling filtration

• Anaerobic digestion

• Mechanical aeration

• Sub surface disposal Lagoon Ing: Lagoon Ing in oxidation ponds is a common means of
both removing and oxidizing organic matter and waste waters as well. Stabilization or

58
oxidation of waste in ponds is the result of several natural self-purification phenomena. The
first phase is sedimentation- settleable solids are deposited in an area around the inlets to the
ponds, some suspended and colloidal matter is precipitated by the action of soluble salts,
decomposition of the resulting sediment by microorganisms changes the sludge into inert
residues and soluble organic substances, which intern are required by other micro-organisms
and algae for their metabolic processes.

Impact of hazardous elements on environment and health

The waste that can be observed from electronic products can consist of toxic elements such as
lead and cadmium. These elements are mainly observed in the circuit boards that lead to
cadmium and oxide to monitor the cathode ray tube that enhances the flat screen and
switches. Cadmium can be observed in the computer batteries that produce high toxic casings
for the PVC cables (Ahmad et al. 2022). These elements are highly Complex that are difficult
to recycle, which can affect the sustainability of the environment and reduce the development
of countries.

E-waste can be stated as an important issue that is faced by the environment and public health
in India. Standing in 5th position with concern to e-waste producers at the Global level. It can
be stated that waste is mainly popular due to its informal name from electrical products that
are required in daily life including television, computer, VCR, copier stereos, and fax
machines that can be considered common products responsible for E-waste. There is a
requirement of enhancing the garbage list for electronic waste. Computer devices that
represent India consist of 70% of the E-waste that comes from the telecom and private IT
sector (Afrozet al. 2020). It is important to understand that there is a requirement of
maintaining the Rapid growth of e-waste in India to manage environmental sustainability. E-
waste has many hazardous substances that are required to be maintained and can be
considered extremely dangerous for the health of humans and also for environmental stability

Different harmful elements can be observed and can be hazardous to the environment and
health

 Lead: It contains a new toxin that mainly affects the reproductive system and Kidneys. It is
important to understand that the quantities that can be observed in the factor are high and that

59
affects the mental development of children (Anslem et al. 2022). Removing shoulder and
mechanical breakage of CRT can be observed from the release of microchips that lead to
fumes and powder

 Plastics: This is found in cabinets, circuit boards, and cable that contains a huge amount of
carcinogens or brominated flame that give out a huge amount of toxic gas. Dioxin can be
very 26 harmful to the immune and reproductive systems (Bhaskar. and Kumar, 2019).
Brominated flame retardants can also be stated as BFR that enhance landfills.

 Mercury: This mainly affects the central nervous system, immune system, and kidney
mean. This can be considered one harmful element that can be observed while burning or
breaking circuit boards and different switches that are made of Mercury (Bhat and Patil,
2021). In water bodies that mainly comes from methylated mercury from the different
activity of microbial.

 Chromium: It is mainly used to protect the metal plates and housings that are available in a
computer from different corrosion. This can also affect and damage badly the kidneys and
levers and also can cause melodies that include asthmatic and also lung cancer (Cesaroet al.
2018).

 Cadmium: Carcinogen also can be stated as a long-term exposure that can be observed
utilizing Itai-Itai disease. Best effects of bones and kid names by releasing a powder into the
environment while smiling and crashing the plastics circuit boards and CRTs (Chaudhary and
Vrat, 2018). It can also be observed that this element is also released with the help of
groundwater, dust, and other entering surface water.

 Acid: Hydrochloric and Sulphuric acid is mainly used to separate metals from different
circuit boards. This also contains Sulphur dioxide and chlorine that may cause harmful
infections in the respiratory system of humans (Chaudhary and Vrat, 2018). This element is
also caused by the skin and eye.

The majority of electronic products contain high quantities of toxic metals and different
Chemicals like mercury which can be considered an important issue that is restricting the
development of countries. Mercury is poisonous in the form of organic, inorganic, or
elemental. It can be stated that there is a requirement to reduce the Mercury level in

60
electronic products which is creating a genotoxic situation for India. According to the "United
Nation environment program UNEP", the Global assessment of mercury report has stated that
it has enhanced methylmercury exposure that is affecting the cardiovascular system in
humans. E-waste can be considered a complex combination of components and materials that
have microscopic levels (Bhaskar. and Kumar, 2019). The waste that is observed in the
environment is broken down and recycled appropriately to recover the material such as iron,
plastic, copper, gold, and aluminium.

 Dealing with E-waste

It can be stated that around the world there are a huge number of solid computers that are
present and stored for temporary e-waste that is required to be disposed of or recycling can be
considered as an alarming rate enhancement. As per the report it can be stated that
approximately 500 million wastes are present in computers including 6.32 billion pounds of
plastic, 1.58 billion pounds of lead, 3 million pounds of cadmium, 1.9 million pounds of
chromium, and 632,000 Pounds of Mercury (Chaudhary et al. 2018). This data shows the
number of events that are present in India that are required to be treated to date. But as per the
observation, it can be stated that four ways are there to treat e-waste but none of the methods
is fully satisfactory.

Review of liquid waste management in construction projects

This section provides a review of the status of the liquid (and/or wastewater) management,
wastewater (Trade/Commercial) regulations and guidance for handling, storing and
processing liquid waste in general in the Australian context. According to Liquid Trade Waste
Regulation Guidelines 2009 (NSW Office of Water), liquid trade waste includes all liquid
waste other than sewage of a domestic nature (waste typically produced in the course of daily
residential living). The guidelines cover liquid waste/wastewater generated from any industry,
business, trade, manufacturing process or similar that is approved for discharge to sewer but
does not include wastewater from domestic nature (Trade Waste Code 2001 of Power and
Water Authority of Northern Territory). According to Sydney Water, trade waste includes the
following;

 Wastewater produced at industrial or commercial premises

 Wastewater transported by vehicle, including septic effluent

61
  Wastewater from ships and boats
 Run-off from contaminated surface water and groundwater.

Processing liquid waste

Processing liquid waste varies with the type and contents of the liquid waste. The waste
generator should classify the liquid waste prior to storing and collection by a processing
facility. However, the receiving and processing facilities have the responsibility to ensure the
waste has been properly classified to certify the waste can lawfully be stored and/or
processed at their facilities. It is also the responsibility of the processing facilities to ensure
the different types of liquid waste that they accept can be stored, processed and treated
appropriately with standard operating procedures in place and without incompatible wastes
being mixed. (State of NSW & NSW EPA 2016).

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 CHAPTER-2

OBJECTIVES

1. To study about various waste management systems prevalent in the industry.

2. To study about the various waste products that our industry produces and its
impact on the environment.
3. To plan out a proper waste management system for the industry.
4. Providing informationabout use of biogas production
5. technology in reducing the pollution.
6. To assess the activities involved for the proposed and determine the type, nature and
estimated volumes of waste to be generated;
7. To identify any potential environmental impacts from the generation of waste at the site;
8. To recommend appropriate waste handling and disposal measures / routings in accordance
with the current legislative and administrative requirements; and
9. To categorise waste material where practicable (inert material / waste fractions) for disposal
considerations i.e. public filling areas / landfill.

63
 Limitation

Key issues and challenges include lack of collection and segregation at source, scarcity of
land, dumping of e-waste, lack of awareness, etc. Simple dumping of mixed waste is the
practice followed practically everywhere and especially in the developing countries as they
cannot mobilize financial resources for applying expensive technology propounded by the
developed countries. In India, “The new Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules 2000”,
which came into effect from January 2004, fail, even to manage waste in a cyclic process.
Waste management still is a linear system of collection and disposal, creating health and
environmental hazards. Urban India is likely to face a massive waste disposal problem in the
coming years. Until now, the problem of waste has been seen as one of cleaning and
disposing as rubbish. But a closer look at the current and future scenario reveals that waste
needs to be treated holistically, recognizing its natural resource roots as well as health
impacts. Waste can be wealth, which has tremendous potential not only for generating
livelihoods for the urban poor but can also enrich the earth through composting and recycling
rather than spreading pollution as has been the case. Increasing urban migration and a high
density of population will make waste management a difficult issue to handle in the near
future, if a new paradigm for approaching it is not created. A strong need felt on private
sector participation in waste management but we cannot ignore the risk of private sector
participation. Risks of private sector involvement may include a lack of transparency, a
commercial failure that would then lead to disturbance of public services, or low cooperation
between stakeholders. Another important question is that how effective are the public-private
partnerships? We remember that Chennai based corporation and French conglomerate Onyx
partnered for garbage collection. But we really don’t know how effective it was in practical
sense. The Corporation paid heavy amount for garbage clearance. But there were complaints
against the company. In any case the company was simply collecting garbage and dumping it

64
on the dumpsites. There is no engineering miracle in collecting and dumping waste. The way
forward is proper waste management policies which must be adopted and responsibilities of
each are defined in proper manner and correctly watched, if the municipal authorities get the
private companies (like onyx) to composting and recycling wastes rather than just dumping it.
There have been a variety of policy responses to the problem of urban solid waste in India,
especially over the past few years, yet sustainable solutions either of organic or inorganic
waste remains untapped and unattended. For developing countries, recycling of waste is the
most economically viable option available both in terms of employment generation for the
urban poor with no skills and investment. All policy documents as well as legislation dealing
with urban solid waste mention or acknowledge recycling as one of the ways of diverting
waste, but they do so in a piece-meal manner and do not address the framework needed to
enable this to happen. Critical issues such as industry responsibility, a critical paradigm to
enable sustainable recycling and to catalyse waste reduction through, say better packing, have
not been touched upon. Recycling of only some types of materials like plastics, paper and
metals is not enough.

65
 METHODOLOGY

----Information through various books and newspapers.

----Information from Internet.
----Information from various personalities working in the industry.

----Information From Articles.

SCOPE OF STUDY

• This research project is carried out in order to bring out an awareness in the people
regarding the need for proper waste management system that has to be installed in the food
and beverage industry in order to reduce the environment pollution that it causes.

• It also provides an outline about the strategies that the industry has to plan in order to have a
self-sustainable growth.

66
 CHAPTER-3

Literature Review

Modern era

Edwin Chadwick's 1842 report The Sanitary Condition of the Labouring Population was
influential in securing the passage of the first legislation aimed at waste clearance and
disposal.
Following the onset of industrialisation and the sustained urban growth of large population
centres in England, the buildup of waste in the cities caused a rapid deterioration in levels of
sanitation and the general quality of urban life. The streets became choked with filth due to
the lack of waste clearance regulations. Calls for the establishment of municipal authority
with waste removal powers occurred as early as 1751, when Corbyn Morris in London
proposed that "... as the preservation of the health of the people is of great importance, it is
proposed that the cleaning of this city, should be put under one uniform public management,
and all the filth be...conveyed by the Thames to proper distance in the country".
However, it was not until the mid-19th century, spurred by increasingly devastating cholera
outbreaks and the emergence of a public health debate that the first legislation on the issue
emerged. Highly influential in this new focus was the report The Sanitary Condition of the
Labouring Population in 1842 of the social reformers, Edwin Chadwick, in which he argued
for the importance of adequate waste removal and management facilities to improve the
health and wellbeing of the city's population.
In the UK, the Nuisance Removal and Disease Prevention Act of 1846 began what was to be
a steadily evolving process of the provision of regulated waste management in London. The
Metropolitan Board of Works was the first citywide authority that centralized sanitation
regulation for the rapidly expanding city, and the Public Health Act 1875 made it compulsory
for every household to deposit their weekly waste in "moveable receptacles" for disposal—
the first concept for a dustbin. In the Ashanti Empire by the 19th century, there existed a
Public Works Department that was responsible for sanitation in Kumasi and its suburbs. They
kept the streets clean daily and commanded civilians to keep their compounds clean and

67
weeded.
Manlove, Alliott & Co. Ltd. 1894 destructor furnace. The use of incinerators for waste
disposal became popular in the late 19th century.
The dramatic increase in waste for disposal led to the creation of the first incineration plants,
or, as they were then called, "destructors". In 1874, the first incinerator was built in
Nottingham by Manlove, Alliott & Co. Ltd. to the design of Alfred Fryer. However, these
were met with opposition on account of the large amounts of ash they produced and which
wafted over the neighbouring areas.
Similar municipal systems of waste disposal sprung up at the turn of the 20th century in other
large cities of Europe and North America. In 1895, New York City became the first U.S. city
with public-sector garbage management.
Early garbage removal trucks were simply open-bodied dump trucks pulled by a team of
horses.

They became motorized in the early part of the 20th century and the first closed-body trucks
to eliminate odours with a dumping lever mechanism were introduced in the 1920s in Britain.
These were soon equipped with 'hopper mechanisms' where the scooper was loaded at floor
level and then hoisted mechanically to deposit the waste in the truck. The Garwood Load
Packer was the first truck in 1938, to incorporate a hydraulic compactor.

68
History of anaerobic decomposition method.

Scientific interest in the gasses produced by the natural decomposition of organic matter, was
first reported in the seventeenth century by Robert Boyle and Stephen Hale, who noted
that flammable gas was released by disturbing the sediment of streams and lakes. In 1808,
Sir Humphry Davy determined that methane was present in the gasses produced by cattle
manure. The first anaerobic digester was built by a leper colony in Bombay, India in 1859. In
1895 the technology was developed in Exeter, England, where a septic tank was used to
generate gas for street
lighting. Also in England, in 1904, the first dual purpose tank for both sedimentation and
sludge treatment were installed in Hampton. In 1907, in Germany, a patent was issued for the
Imhoff tank, an early form of digester.

Through scientific research anaerobic digestion gained academic

recognition in the 1930s. This research led to the discovery of anaerobic bacteria, the
microorganisms that facilitate the process. Further research was carried out to investigate the
conditions under which methanogenic bacteria were able to grow and reproduce. This work
was developed during World War II where in both Germany and France there was an increase
in the application of anaerobic digestion for the treatment of manure.

69
 Applications

Anaerobic digestion is particularly suited to wet organic material and is commonly used for
effluent and sewage treatment. Anaerobic digestion is a simple process that can greatly
reduce the amount of organic matter, which might otherwise be destined to be land filled or
burnt in an incinerator.

Almost any organic material can be processed with anaerobic digestion. This includes
biodegradable waste materials such as waste paper, grass clippings, leftover food, sewage and
animal waste. The exception to this is woody wastes that are largely unaffected by digestion
as most anaerobes are unable to degrade lignin. The exception being xylophagous anaerobes
(lignin consumers), as used in the process for organic breakdown of cellulosic material by a
cellulosic ethanol start-up company in the U.S. Anaerobic digesters can also be fed with
specially grown energy crops such as silage for dedicated biogas production. In Germany and
continental Europe these facilities are referred to as biogas plants. A co-digestion or co-
fermentation plant is typically an agricultural anaerobic digester that accepts two or more
input materials for simultaneous digestion.

In developing countries simple home and farm-based anaerobic digestion systems offer the
potential for cheap, low-cost energy for cooking and lighting. The United Nations
Development Programme has recognized anaerobic digestion facilities as one of the most
useful decentralized sources of energy supply. From 1975, China and India have both had
large government-backed schemes for adaptation of small biogas plants for use in the
household for cooking and lighting. Presently, projects for anaerobic digestion in the
developing world can gain financial support through the United

Nations Clean Development Mechanism if they are able to show they provide reduced carbon
emissions.

70
Pressure from environmentally related legislation on solid waste disposal methods in
developed countries has increased the application of anaerobic digestion as a process for
reducing waste volumes and generating useful by-products. Anaerobic digestion may either
be used to process the source separated fraction of municipal waste, or alternatively
combined with mechanical sorting systems, to process residual mixed municipal waste. These
facilities are called mechanical biological treatment plants.

Utilizing anaerobic digestion technologies can help to reduce the emission of greenhouse
gasses in a number of key ways:

• Replacement of fossil fuels

• Reducing methane emission from landfills

• Displacing industrially-produced chemical fertilizers

• Reducing vehicle movements

• Reducing electrical grid transportation losses

Methane and power produced in anaerobic digestion facilities can be utilized to replace
energy derived from fossil fuels, and hence reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses. This is
due to the fact that the carbon in biodegradable material is part of a carbon cycle. The carbon
released into the atmosphere from the combustion of biogas has been removed by plants in
order for them to grow in the recent past. This can have occurred within the last decade, but
more typically within the last growing season. If the plants are re-grown, taking the carbon
out of the atmosphere once more, the system will be carbon neutral. This contrasts to carbon
in fossil fuels that has been sequestered in the earth for many millions of years, the
combustion of which increases the overall levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

If the putrescible waste processed in anaerobic digesters were disposed of in a landfill, it

would break down naturally and often anaerobically. In this case the gas will eventually
escape into the atmosphere. As methane is about twenty times more potent as a greenhouse
gas as carbon dioxide this has significant negative environmental effects.

71
Digestate liquor can be used as a fertilizer supplying vital nutrients to soils. The solid, fibrous
component of digestate can be used as a soil conditioner. The liquor can be used as a
substitute for chemical fertilizers, which require large amounts of energy to produce. The use
of manufactured fertilizers is therefore more carbon intensive than the use of anaerobic
digestate fertilizer. This solid digestate can be used to boost the organic content of soils.
There are some countries, such as Spain where there are many organically depleted soils, and
here the markets for the digestate can be just as important as the biogas.

In countries that collect household waste, the utilization of local anaerobic digestion facilities
can help to reduce the amount of waste that requires transportation to centralized landfill sites
or

incineration facilities. This reduced burden on transportation has and will reduce carbon
emissions from the collection vehicles. If localized anaerobic digestion facilities are
embedded within an electrical distribution network, they can help reduce the electrical losses
that are associated with transporting electricity over a national grid.

Ecological cleaning and utilization

Biogas plant can reduce sanitary zone (distance from the enterprise to residential area) from
500m to 150m. In many cases such ecological issues are vital for some enterprises.

Out-of-date lagoons occupy lots of space and have bad smell. Biogas plant requires space that
several times less if to be compared to lagoons and manure storages. Water in lagoons is
bounded by colloid compounds hence evaporation is very faint. After treatment in biogas
plant water is separated and easily vaporized. Digested biomass can be released to the fields
without any time delays, which can reduce lagoons area up to 5 times! Investments into
lagoon construction are money thrown down the drain. By investing into biogas plant you
payback your money with profit and make land usage more effective. Biogas plant
construction is useful not only for new farms but for existing as well, because old lagoons

72
maintenance cost is considerable.

Some of waste products can be stored in lagoons while the other requires energy and cost
consuming utilization (slaughterhouse waste), biogas production looks more attractive in that
respect. Usage of conventional lagoons and landfills often makes possible filtrate percolation
to the groundwater that causes health problems to people and animals as well as sanctions
from state sanitary service and costly medical treatment. Using biogas plant system you will
avoid diseases, medical and penalty bills.
Equipped with additional filtration devices (pressure filter, decanter) biogas plant can reduce
COD and BOD levels in filtrate so it can be discharged to sewage system or factory water
treatment facility. COD – chemical oxygen demand and BOD – biological oxygen demand.
Biogas plant makes possible removal of most part of contaminating biological matter
(organic matter content reduced up to 60-70%).

73
 Chapter-5

Recommendations

Manish & Chakraborty (2019) discuss in their study how government, city- administration,
and citizens can also help for better management of e-waste. Citizens have an important role
in managing e-waste. Many small gadgets along with dumped waste are found and many
people openly burn those accumulated waste. It is actually the responsibility of the public to
segregate and dispose of the e-waste from the normal waste. This obviously needs awareness
among the citizens (Manish & Chakraborty, 2019). Awareness plays a major role here
because people in India are not aware of the dangerous side effects of e-waste on human
health as well as the environment. Therefore, support from the public will guarantee proper
disposal and collection of e-waste which will strengthen the e-waste system in India.

According to the ASSOCHAM report (2017) to reduce the issues of e-waste, the government
may collaborate with industries for ruling out different regulated and standard processes.
Government can also encourage and get involved with new entrepreneurs to provide technical
guidance and advanced strategies. Also, there must be integration between the formal and
informal sectors to get a well-established collection network. The e-waste can be collected by
informal parties and processed by formal parties. The government can play a crucial role here
to integrate both sectors. It is the right time for the government to take steps to recycle and
dispose of e-waste safely for the well-being of its citizens and the environment (Manish &
Chakraborty, 2019). Thus, E-waste management is a great challenge for governments of
many developing countries such as India. Compared to the past years this system is improved
but there are still many scopes that need to be improved in this field.

Therefore, it can be concluded that E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream all over the
world, and for a developing country like India where consumption of electronic products is
huge, the above literature review discusses e-waste in general, e-waste management in India,
challenges and issues in 24 this field and also discusses various solutions or measures
suggested by different authors to maintain a proper e-waste management system in India.
Thus, it can be concluded that there is an urgent need to adopt a few measures to improve e-
waste management in India and maintain human life and the environment.

Adoption of schemes, models and techniques

74
Adopting a model such as a circular economy will help in sustaining economic development
and would employ proper waste management. A circular economy promotes reusing,
recycling and would help in the development of new businesses, industries, and jobs. A
circular economy plays an important role in decoupling economic growth from the use of
natural resources by eliminating waste at every stage of the value chain (Condra, 2020).

Adopting measures such as E-waste Recycling Credits (ERCs) which is a point-based reward
system. ERC initiative will provide incentives for illegal and unauthorized businesses to
formalize their operations and will provide supply chain links with approved recycling
centres. Supporting this Gaikwad (2019) argue cities apply for national funding schemes for
urban development that could be used to connect the well-established network of
decentralized collection and small recycling units in the unauthorized sector with large
industrial recycling centres (Gaikwad, 2019).

Advanced recycling fee (ARF) or Advanced disposal fee (ADF) are two types of an incentive
schemes that can be applied to electronic products that are sold in the market. This includes a
fee that the customer pays for certain products at the point of sale. ARF and ADF are
estimated on costs of collection, recovery, and disposal. Fees can be assessed per unit of the
product sold or by weight. The benefits of ADF/ARF depend on what is done with the
revenues. The fee should be used to support environmentally sound recycling of the post-
consumer product.

A deposit Refund Scheme (DRS) is a technique wherein the producer charges extra money as
a deposit when purchasing electrical and electronic devices. This deposit is then returned to
the customer along with some interest when the equipment has reached the end of its life
cycle. This ensures the collection of electronic equipment and their channelization to
authorized dismantlers.

A PRO is an agency through which various recyclers and dismantlers all over the nation, that
offers assistance to the producers to achieve EPR targets, a PRO also helps in setting up
focused e-waste 25 collection systems and raising awareness of e-waste recycling. Adopting
PRO will ensure proper collection of e-waste and will also formalize all the practices of the
informal sector.

Adopting such schemes will help in overcoming EPR issues and strengthen the integration of
formal and informal sectors under EPR.

75
 Conclusion
It is sufficed to say that we require a more stringent integrated and strategic waste prevention
framework to effectively address wastage related issues. There is an urgent need to build
upon existing systems instead of attempting to replace them blindly with models from
developed countries. To prevent any epidemic and to make each city a healthy city-
economically and environmentally, there is an urgent need for a well-defined strategic waste
management plan and a strong implementation of the same in India. To achieve financial
sustainability, socio-economic and environmental goals in the field of waste management,
there is a need to systematically analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the community as
well as the municipal corporation, based on which an effective waste management system can
be evolved with the participation of various stakeholders in India. The public apathy can be
altered by awareness building campaigns and educational measures. Sensitization of the
community is also essential to achieve the above objectives and we need to act and act fast as
every city in India is already a hotbed of many contagious diseases, most of which are caused
by ineffective waste management. All these above said suggestions are given in relation to
India and will be effective only when we individually feel the responsibility of making
environment clean. As general public, we cannot do much in policy and regulations
formulation, adoption of newer technologies related to recycling and other waste
management options but we can play a very important role in this process if we can adopt
only few tips. Here are a few tips to achieve this goal.

1. Keep ourself informed: It is important that we are in the know about what is happening on
the environment front. Read about how untreated sewage is thrown into the rivers, attend
public lectures about air pollution, & keep in touch with new policies that affect our
environment. The more informed we are, the better equipped we are to fight such issues.

2. Consume less: Motto: Refuse…...Reduce…. Reuse… Recycle. This means consuming

fewer resources, reusing whatever we can and finally recycling what cannot be reused. This
process greatly reduces the garbage.

3. Say ‘No’ to plastic bags: One of the biggest sources of pollution in Indian cities is the
ubiquitous plastic bag. Refuse to accept one. Instead, carry a cloth shopping bag with us.

76
4. Separate our garbage: India has one of the world’s most efficient recycling mechanisms.
Use the service of our raddiwala. Newspapers, bottle cans and other such recyclables can
fetch us money and, in the process, we can help to save the environment. Rag pickers, too,
perform a vital function for the city. Kitchen garbage (biodegradable) should be separated
from nonbiodegradable waste.

5. Compost our organic waste: Start a vermiculture bin. We can convince our neighbours to
start a vermiculture bin also to produce manure.

6. Stop burning garbage: Ask our neighbours to desist from burning solid wastes. It may
seem harmless but smoke emitted from leaves contributes to air pollution. Also, when there is
plastic in the heap, it emits dangerous toxic fumes. Leaves can be converted to fertilizer
through composting & plastic can be recycled.

Chapter \- 6

Bibliography:

Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) (2010). “The New Frontier in Sustainability”, The
Business Opportunity in Tackling Sustainable Consumption.

Central Pollution Control Board of India (CPCB) (1998), “Status of solid waste management
in metro cities”, CPCB.

Gibbs and Soell (2010). “Sense and Sustainability Among Consumers and Fortune 1000
Executives, Gibbs and Soell, Inc.

Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2000, Ministry of Environment
and Forests, Government of India, issues on 25 September 2000

National Archives and Records Administration Federal Register (2007). “Executive Order
13423 – Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management”,
The President, Part II.

77
National Archives and Records Administration Federal Register (2009). “Executive Order
13514 – Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance”, The
President, Part VII.

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) (2010). “Cutting Waste and Saving Money
Through Contracting Reform”.

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2000). “Strategic Waste
Management”, Environmental Policy Committee, Working Party on Pollution Prevention and
Control, Reference Manual.

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2007). “Guidance

Manual for the Implementation of the OECD Recommendation (2004) 100 on
Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) of Waste”.

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2006). “Improving

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