Traditionally, Indian households practiced frugality and resourcefulness. Clothes were repaired, resized, and lovingly reused, often passed down through generations. Containers found new lives, and food scraps returned to the earth through composting. This minimized waste not just for financial reasons, but because the very concept of needless wastefulness was alien. It was a culture built on the simple principle of ‘why waste?’ says Pratibha Dewett, Chief Sustainability Officer, Lucro Plastecycle Pvt .Ltd
Overflowing landfills are turning what could have been beautiful parks into environmental and health hazards. Leachate contamination poisons the soil, air pollution from burning waste chokes the lungs, diseases spread easily, and valuable space is lost.
While innovation offers some alternatives, commercialisation remains a significant hurdle. What are the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for landfills? There is a need for a multi-pronged approach involving technological advancements, policy changes, and brand responsibility.
Landfills may not disappear entirely, but they can evolve into more sustainable facilities that capture energy, process organic waste, and minimize the amount of material sent for permanent burial.
Pratibha Dewett
The Innovation Gap
Technological advancements offer a glimmer of hope. Waste-to-energy (WtE) technologies can convert waste into usable energy, while composting breaks down organic matter into nutrient-rich soil.
Improved recycling processes, aided by advancements in sorting and separation techniques, could significantly reduce the amount of material destined for landfills. However, these solutions face a critical roadblock: Cost.
Large-scale implementation requires significant capital expenditure (CAPEX) for research and development (R&D) and infrastructure upgrades to existing waste management systems. Unfortunately, the push for these alternatives remains sluggish. Brands, who could play a vital role by sponsoring pilot projects and helping scale successful solutions, are often hesitant to take the initial risk.
This lack of investment hinders progress and keeps innovative solutions trapped as a prospective theoretical possibility.
Challenges on the Ground
Existing alternatives face their own hurdles. The low cost of landfill disposal discourages companies from taking up landfill clearance and using the material in their recycling facilities. This relegates sustainable waste management to a niche concern, often leaving it dependent to one-off CSR initiatives or championed by NGOs, hindering the development of long-term, sustainable solutions.
Landfills remain the cheapest & least desirable, disposal method. Additionally, the concept of “yield ratio” – the amount of usable material retrieved from waste – becomes a concern. Informal waste pickers, who often work in harsh conditions, play a crucial role in waste collection. However, their efforts can inadvertently reduce the yield for formal processing facilities. By the time official processing occurs, valuable recyclables may already be collected, leaving behind contaminated and sun-damaged materials with limited applications. While these materials might be suitable for low value uses like briquette production, the overall yield still remains a significant issue.
Call for Collaboration
Moving forward requires collaboration on multiple fronts. Policy changes are crucial to incentivize sustainable alternatives and penalize landfilling. Governments can introduce subsidies for R&D, tax breaks for companies with advanced recycling facilities, and implement landfill bans on specific materials. These incentives can create a more level playing field, making sustainable options commercially viable.
Brands must also step up and take responsibility. Investing in pilot projects to demonstrate the viability of innovative solutions can pave the way for wider adoption. Collaboration with waste management companies and research institutions can accelerate progress and bring innovative solutions to market faster. Additionally, brands can promote sustainable practices throughout their supply chains, reducing waste generation at the source.
Artificial intelligence and robotics hold immense potential for waste sorting and processing. By semi-automating these tasks, we can improve accuracy and potentially increase the yield of recyclable materials.
By addressing the commercial viability of alternatives, fostering collaboration between stakeholders – policymakers, brands, waste management companies, and research institutions – and embracing innovation, we can move towards a more sustainable waste management future.
