Page 62 - CIJ Dec 2023 - Digital Edition

Waste ManageMent

the problem statement. Corporates
provide a professional approach
with clear price points and
quality specifications to convert
a mismanaged landfill into an
opportunity for CCR. This is a
boon for the urban local bodies.
While town-planning departments
are scaling water supply systems,
electrification systems and drainage
and stormwater systems, the same
level of depth in developing waste
If we start considering management systems is missing. If the consumer does the
waste as a resource, we segregation, it can go to the
will solve the maximum Strengthening urban recycling facility.
number of problems. local bodies Zakaria Joy

Ashish Jain As per the Municipal Corporation
Act 1947, waste management is
the mandate and responsibility of his role is important for the success
Source segregation the ULBs. Though the ULB is the of the policy. The EPR also gives
the benefit of credit to the consumer
owner of the waste, the moment it
Plastic is not waste and can enters the municipal stream, it is the for cleaning, segregating and
be recycled. If every individual recyclers who command the EPR. It handing over for recycling, thus
segregates waste at source, each is therefore necessary to strengthen rewarding him.
item will go to its respective stream the urban bodies by having better
and get recycled. Brand owners collection systems and state-of- Western or indigenous
have taken up the responsibility the-art recycling infrastructure so
to reach out to stakeholders like that they can offset the cost of solid technology
educational institutions, corporates waste management. Currently, Problems faced in India are very
and housing societies and train waste management is a cost centre different from that of the West.
them on how to segregate and and the ULBs are funding it from Plastic consumption patterns differ
dispose waste responsibly. Such public and property unit taxes. If in India. In the South, one will find
initiatives have resulted in the one totals all the fees collected clean, flexible plastic and in the
collection of thousands of tonnes of across municipal corporations and North, packaging is multi-layered.
plastic for recycling. municipal councils, the annual Consumption is impacted by
budget of solid waste management seasonal changes too. Therefore,
Addressing gaps would be sizable. solutions have to be customised
in planning and Role of consumer and technology will have to be
indigenously developed through
infrastructure The producer manufactures the R&D and defined processes. Given
Creating a problem statement packaging material which finally that major stakeholders like the
to identify the core need of an goes to the consumer. However, central and state governments,
urban local body (ULB) is the while the EPR policy mentions the parastatal organisations, corporates,
primary task of an urban planner. responsibilities of producers and recyclers and civil society
When corporate India interacts recyclers it does not define the role organisations are focused on the
with an urban local body or city and responsibility of the consumer. problem, solutions cannot be far
administration, the urban planner The material is available for behind. It is expected that by 2030,
acts as the intermediary who recycling only if the end consumer India will have achieved 100%
identifies gaps and writes down is ready to clean and segregate it, so collection of plastic produced. CIJ

DECEMBER 2023•Clean India Journal
62 www.cleanindiajournal.com