Waste Management & Channelization

With more than 1.4 billion people living in India, it stands second only to China in the list of the most populated countries in the world. Being in such a position gives India certain advantages over others and a larger supply of human resources is surely one among them. But at the same time, the problems that come with it way outweigh them. High demand for food, water, housing, and health care and not to forget to include the issues regarding waste generation and its management are now some of the biggest challenges before the government of India. 

To have a better understanding of the issue regarding waste generation, let us take some help from the statistics. As per the reports, an average of 0.7 KG/day of waste will be generated in 2025 by every citizen living in the urban areas of the country and what’s shocking here is that this figure is approximately four to six times higher than that of 1991. In fact, India is currently generating sixty-two million tons of waste, including both recyclable and non-recyclable, and this is expected to grow further at an annual rate of four percent as per the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change. 

All these make the effective management of waste way significant and considering this, the Indian government has recently put multiple measures in place, including EPR certification under the waste management rules.

A major chunk of waste often comes from industries and people's residences and the process that deals with it as per the government’s norms refers to ‘Waste Management.’ This includes a range of activities like collection, transportation, recycling, and disposal of waste materials in an efficient and environment-friendly manner. The purpose behind it always remains the same, which is to mitigate the negative impacts of waste materials on the health of people and their surroundings. 

The principal waste materials are usually of two types, Plastic-waste and E-waste and the processes of managing them also differ. Here, if we talk about the massive scale on which they’re currently produced, then as per the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) data, more than 1.4 lakh tons of waste are generated every day as municipal solid waste in urban India. And, only 23 percent out of all is treated effectively, while 72 percent goes to the filling of lands. 

Here, the annual production of plastic waste stands at around 9 million tons, which can go up to 34 million tons by the year 2031. As per the reports of CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board), the percentage of plastic and rubber which used to be only 0.66 percent in municipal solid waste has now risen to 9.22 percent. 

The plastic waste generation as per the State/UT is as follows:

When it comes to E-waste, the situation remains the same as the figure stands at 10, 14961 tonnes for the financial year 2019-2020. Below, you can see the generation of E-waste in the Indian states and cities.

All these data strongly emphasize the need for proper waste management in the country because in its absence, the generated waste either will be left ignored to rot or go to the landfill sites and both these are the primary factors for today’s poor state of air, land and water quality, hence detrimental to humans and their surroundings.

From the production to the disposal phase, waste management plays its role at almost every stage of the lifecycle of a product. And here, having an understanding of the categories of waste can contribute to their better management. 

The followings are the ways waste can be categorized:

• Hazardous and Non-Hazardous waste
• Biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable waste

Let us walk you through each of them one by one.

• Hazardous Waste

Today, Industrial processes and healthcare facilities are the major sources of hazardous waste. The waste materials that it consists of are often toxic and flammable and that’s why it’s considered unhealthy to humans and the environment. Chemicals, pesticides, batteries, e-waste, and medical waste are some of the most common examples of hazardous waste. 

Characteristics of hazardous waste are many, some of the most common ones are:

1. Corrosive
2. Ignitable
3. Toxic
4. Reactive and harmful chemicals
5. Infectious

These are the factors managing hazardous waste demands a lot of consideration and if not managed properly, it can create a chaotic situation for nature and people.

• Non-Hazardous Waste

As the name itself suggests, non-hazardous waste does not pose any prominent danger like a hazardous waste but it does impact the environment negatively if not taken care of. As per the rules, it must not be thrown out in trash containers or sewage lines. Its primary sources are corporate waste from factories and farms, and household end materials which come from food and bathroom. Sugars, lactic acid, bromides, and carbonates are the most common examples of non-hazardous waste.

• Biodegradable Waste

Biodegradable waste usually consists of substances that can be run down eventually by natural factors like microorganisms and environmental surroundings, such as temperature, oxygen, etc. Major sources of such waste come from food and kitchen-related activities. 

• Non-Biodegradable Waste

Unlike biodegradable waste, non-Biodegradable waste is made up of substances that cannot be degraded by natural factors and contribute as a major source of pollution, be it air, water, or land. That’s also one reason handling non-biodegradable waste becomes complex. Plastic, electronic waste, old batteries, artificial rubber, and polymer are the most common examples of non-biodegradable waste.

Waste management becomes crucial considering the increasing population of the country and the massive amount of waste it generates every day. The list of advantages that comes with it, if done properly, is also quite extensive. Let’s take a look at the major ones:

• Secure Environment

Handling waste effectively not only preserves the environment but also makes it cleaner and better, hence contributing to building a disease-free space for people's health. Apart from mitigating the potential impacts that unhandled waste can leave on its immediate surroundings, waste management also works towards rebuilding the ozone layer by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

• Improve Cleanliness

How often do you see hacks of garbage and mess lying here and there and think what would happen to this place? Such unmanaged waste not only damages the image of that place but also contaminates the nearby environment and causes health problems. Timely collection and disposal under waste management is an effective solution to this problem and can contain the spread of diseases born due to it. 

• Conservation of Natural Resources

Waste management promotes recycling and reuse and this helps conserve natural resources. It can lead to a reduction in the amount of waste that mostly ends up in landfills and bring down the need for new raw materials to be extracted every time. 

• Generate Energy 

What if we tell you that waste management can bring down the requirement for fossil fuels and help deal with climate change? Well yes, it’s true. Using waste-to-energy techniques such as incineration, waste materials can act as a great source of heat and power and fulfill a major portion of rising energy demands.

To deal with the management of waste in the country, the Government of India is also playing its part by introducing new environmental laws/guidelines from time to time. 

Followings are the laws that are currently associated with the regulations and norms for waste management:-

• Environment Protection Act 1986

Considered the first major legal step towards the environment’s protection, this act bestows the power of regulating all sorts of waste on the central government. 

One of the most important provisions of this Act is it prohibits any person from engaging in activities that can lead to the emission of environmental pollutants more than the prescribed standards. 

Not only that, it also makes such activities punishable based on the “Polluter pays principle” concept. Under this act, the people responsible for the harm are obliged to pay the expenses which will be incurred to restore the affected situation to its natural state. 

• Solid Waste Management Rule 2016

Another major development happens with this rule which prohibits people from throwing their solid waste out in the open space or water bodies outside their premises or burning or burying it. It also mandates that waste generators pay a ‘user fee’ to the waste collecting authority and legal fines in the event of a violation of regulations and norms. 

• E-waste (Management) Rule 2022

Under this rule, every producer and importer of electronic goods is obliged to get EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) certification from the central pollution control board. It binds businesses to assemble the E-waste generated by them during the entire lifestyle of a product and to ensure its proper recycling or disposal. 

There are also certain targets fixed by these rules. Producers are required to make sure that at least 60% of their electronic waste is collected and recycled by the end of 2023 with targets to increase them to 70% and 80% in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

• Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules 2022

Under this rule, people who indulge in activities responsible for plastic-waste generation are also mandated to get an EPR certificate to run their business operations as legal entities. It makes plastic-waste generators responsible for proper management of their waste as prescribed by the regulations and norms.

Other major key provisions of this rule are the prohibition of certain types of single-use plastic and the enforceable prescription of a minimum level of recycling of plastic packaging waste materials collected under EPR.

• Battery Waste Management Rules 2022

The Indian government has brought this rule to mandate the battery producers of the country to set strategies in place for the collection, disposal, and recycling of waste battery materials. It also prohibits the activity of incineration of battery waste materials or disposal of them in landfills. 

• Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Amendment Rules, 2022.

As the name itself suggests, this rule is brought by the Indian government to ensure the safe handling, processing, storage, and transportation of hazardous waste materials throughout the country. This way the government wants to keep away the damage that can arise due to any mishap while dealing with the waste materials of dangerous goods.

Being India’s leading environmental consultancy company, Corpseed ITES has been working in the field of Waste Management and EPR authorization since 2017. To date, Corpseed ITES has successfully filed more than 200 EPRs and served thousands of domestic and International clients. 

Corpseed ITES is a one-stop solution for all your waste management needs, especially EPR authorization & compliance, and Gap assessment and preparation of SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) under waste channelization. Let’s take a closer look at them one by one.

EPR Authorization

With the growing volume of waste in the country, the Indian government has made it mandatory for producers, importers, and recyclers to get registered for the EPR certification. The policy of Extended Producer Responsibility, shortly known as EPR, makes entities that generate waste responsible for its treatment and disposal sustainably. It also mandates them to put measures in place to design their products that can be easily recycled, reused, or disposed of later in their life cycle.

From preparing documents to reviewing them under environmental rules, Corpseed ITES can assist you at every stage of EPR registration. 

Types of EPR Authorization

• EPR authorization under the E-waste management rules.
• EPR authorization under the Plastic waste management rules.
• EPR authorization under the Battery waste management rules.
• EPR Authorization Under the Tyre waste management rules

For information regarding the documents required to apply for EPR authorization, you can refer to EPR Authorization

EPR Compliances

Things don’t end with EPR authorization as proper compliance with the EPR regulations and norms are also mandatory. Ignoring EPR compliances is considered a legal offense and can attract hefty penalties, or lead to shut down of business activities temporarily or permanently. 

Refer to EPR Compliance to know about the compliances that an entity must follow under the Extended Producer Responsibility policy.

Here, Corpseed ITES can help you comply with the EPR regulations in the following ways:

• Preparation and submission of Quarterly EPR Compliances
• Preparation and submission of Biannual EPR compliances
• Preparation and submission of Annual EPR compliances
• Guiding in maintaining the documents required for preparing the EPR compliances.

Waste Channelization

Under the waste management rules, the Indian government has mandated businesses to channel their waste materials through registered recyclers and PWP under CPCB. 
These rules required them to get in touch with the Plastic Waste Processors (PWP) namely the recyclers, waste to energy plants for managing their plastic waste, ready all the required documents/forms, and keep an updated record of the quantity of waste produced and managed.

Corpseed ITES follows a very systematic approach to help its clients with waste channelization. Let’s take a look at it:

GAP Assessment and Preparation of Waste Records

• Visitation of the facility by Corpseed ITES experts for field observation.
• Discussion with the management team and other employees on business operations and the process of waste management.
• Preparation of checklist and questionnaire as per the regulations to be implemented in the facility.
• Identifying the spots where the businesses fail to comply with the PWM (Plastic Waste Management) rules and EPR guidelines.
• Providing businesses with templates to help them maintain records of the amount of waste generated and handled by them.

Preparation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

• Corpseed ITES helps people formulate Standard operating procedures (SOPs) as per the requirements of waste management rules. SOPs can contain work procedures for secure waste handling and segregation, spill management, and training of employees.
• Guidance and suggestion of better practices to efficiently deal with the waste.

Filing Returns

• Documentation required under the government norms for filing annual returns/system-generated auto reminders.
• Preparation and submission the forms for filing annual returns on behalf of the businesses.