The remediation of all legacy landfills in India are in full swing and a public dashboard on the progress at 2,200 such sites is in the offing.

What are Landfills?

• A landfill site, also known as a tip, dump, rubbish dump, garbage dump, or dumping ground, is a site for the disposal of waste materials.
• Some landfill sites are also used for waste management purposes, such as temporary storage, consolidation and transfer, or for various stages of processing waste material, such as sorting, treatment, or recycling.

Threats posed by landfills

Landfills have the potential to cause a number of issues. Infrastructure disruption, such as damage to access roads by heavy vehicles, may occur amongst others.

1) Leachate

• When precipitation falls on open landfills, water percolates through the garbage and becomes contaminated with suspended and dissolved material, forming leachate.
• If this is not contained it can contaminate groundwater.

2) Decomposition gases

• Rotting food and other decaying organic waste create decomposition gases, especially CO2 and CH4 from aerobic and anaerobic decomposition, respectively.
• Both processes occur simultaneously in different parts of a landfill.

3) Other threats

• Poorly run landfills may become nuisances because of vectors such as rats and flies which can spread infectious diseases.
• The occurrence of such vectors can be mitigated through the use of daily cover.
• Other potential issues include wildlife disruption due to occupation of habitat and animal health disruption caused by consuming waste from landfills, dust, odour, noise pollution, and reduced local property values.

Why clear landfills?

• Once removed, the sites would free up 15,000 acres of land.
• For instance, the largest such landfill, in Mumbai, is spread over 300 acres and contains 2.60 crore tonnes of waste.
• Delhi’s three landfills — Ghazipur, Bhalswa and Okhla — contain around 2.8 crore tonnes of waste.

What is landfill remediation?

The most common methods for the remediation of landfills include:

• Excavation to recover recyclable materials
• Capping to reduce leachate generation
• Air sparging and soil vapor extraction to capture and remediate gases and
• Pump-and-treat of the leachate-contaminated plume

Significance of the portal

• Through the portal, citizens would be able to track the progress of their cities’ action plans for remediation of legacy landfills.
• The plans cover everything from remediation to the eventual reuse of the land.

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A proposed framework by the Centre for regulating e-waste in India has upset a key link of India’s electronic waste collection system and threatens the livelihood of thousands of people.

Menace of E-Waste in India

• Electronic waste, or electronic goods that are past their productive life and old parts, is largely handled by India’s vast informal sector.
• Spent goods are dismantled and viable working parts refurbished, with the rest making their way into chemical dismantling units.
• Many of these units are run out of unregulated sweatshops that employ child labour and hazardous extraction techniques.

Remedy against this: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

• To address all of this, the Environment Ministry brought the E-waste (Management) Rules, 2016.
• This introduced a system of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) compelling makers of electronic goods to ensure a proportion of the goods they sold every year was recycled.
• They are expected to maintain records annually demonstrating this.
• Most companies however did not maintain an in-house unit in charge of recycling and this gave rise to a network of government-registered companies, called Producer Responsibility Organisations (PRO).

How PROs work?

• PROs act as an intermediary between manufacturers and formal recycling
• They are (expected to be) technologically equipped to recycle end-of-life electronic goods safely and efficiently.
• The PROs typically bid for contracts from companies and arrange for specified quantities of goods to be recycled.
• They provide companies certified proof of recycling that they then maintain as part of their records. Several PROs work on consumer awareness and enable a supply chain for recycled goods.

Functional PROs in India

• As of March 2022, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has registered 74 PROs and 468 authorised dismantlers.
• They have a collective recycling capacity of about 1.3 million tonnes.

What is the extent of E-Waste production in India?

• The Ministry estimated 7.7 lakh tonnes of e-waste to have been generated in 2018-19.
• Around one million tonnes in 2019-20 of which only a fifth (about 22% in both years) has been confirmed to be “dismantled and recycled”.

What is the controversy now?

• This May, the Ministry issued a draft notification that does away with the PROs and dismantlers and vests all responsibility of recycling with authorised recyclers.
• Only a handful of authorised recyclers exist in India.
• Recyclers will source a quantity of waste, recycle them and generate electronic certificates.
• Companies can buy these certificates equivalent to their annual committed target and thus do not have to be involved with engaging the PROs and dismantlers.
• Dismantling a fledgling system was detrimental to the future of e-waste management in India.

What is the rationale behind?

• The Centre has not explained its rationale for dismantling the existing system in its draft notification.
• However, a final policy is yet to emerge.
• The new rules would track the material that went in for recycling with the output claimed by a recycler when they claimed GST (Goods and Services Tax) input credit.

Also read this comprehensive article:

[Yojana Archive] E-waste Management

Try this PYQ:

Q.In India, ‘extended producer responsibility’ was introduced as an important feature in which of the following?

(a) The Bio-medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998

(b) The Recycled Plastic (Manufacturing and Usage) Rules, 1999

(c) The e-Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011

(d) The Food Safety and Standard Regulations, 2011

 

Post your answers here.

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A ban on the use of single-use plastics that was notified by the Union Environment Ministry on August 2021 came into effect on July 1 this year.

What is the news?

• The national and State-level control rooms would be set up to check illegal manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of banned single use plastic items.
• The Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, will also prohibit manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of plastic carry bags.
• This is for plastics having thickness less than 120 microns with effect from December 31, 2022.

What is Single-Use Plastic?

• The Centre defines it as an object made of plastic that is intended to be used “only once” before being disposed off or recycled.
• Single-use plastic items such as these had “low utility and high littering potential,” it noted.

What is now included in SUPs?

• For the purposes of the ban, there is a list of 21 items that come under the definition of single-use plastic including ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, thermocol for decoration etc.
• It also includes plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays, wrapping or packing films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, and cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 microns, stirrers.
• These objects were listed by the Environment Ministry in August when it notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021.

How will the ban be implemented?

• So far 32 States/UTs have reportedly constituted a dedicated Task Force to eliminate the use of single-use plastics.
• Of these 14 states/UTs and 12 Central Ministries, as of March, had developed action plans describing how they would be enforcing this.
• A few States, for example Maharashtra, already have legislation banning the manufacture and storage of such plastic.
• But implementing it wasn’t always successful as there was regular supply from States where such bans were not in force.
• An all-India ban, it’s hoped, would make enforcement more effective.

Penal provisions

• According to the Environment Protection (EP) Act, violating the ban could invite “punitive action”.
• Manufacturers and distributors of single-use plastic goods were directed to have zero inventory by June 30.
• The EP Act says that violating the ban could invite a five-year imprisonment and a fine of upto ₹1 lakh, or both.
• If the violations are repeated, it could mean additional fines up to ₹5000 for each day.
• There are different penalties for companies, organisations, and government departments under the EP Act.

What is the history of the single use plastic ban in India?

• The Environment Ministry told the Rajya Sabha last July of its plan to phase out some categories of single use plastic by 2022.
• A draft outlining the manner in which the ban was to be implemented was issued in March and involved amending the PWM Rules, 2016.
• Before the amendments came into force, the Rules only prohibited the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of carry bags and plastic sheets less than 50 microns in thickness in the country.
• There is a ban on sachets using plastic material used for storing, packing or selling gutkha, tobacco and pan masala.
• Since October 2021, there is a ban on carry bags made of virgin or recycled plastic less than 75 microns as opposed to 50 microns under the earlier version of the rules.

Is there popular support for the ban?

• The All India Plastic Manufacturers Association has said that the ban would shutter 88,000 units in the plastic manufacturing business.
• These employ close to a million people and contribute to exports worth ₹25,000 crore.
• Fast Moving Consumer Goods companies (FMCG) would be severely affected by the the ban due to their dependence on plastic straws, plates.
• Their replacements, industry representatives say, are available but cost much more than their plastic alternatives.
• There is also limited capacity in India to provide biodegradable replacements.

What is the environmental damage from SUPs?

• Unlike thicker and denser plastic material, single-use plastic objects being light and flexible are less amenable to being recycled.
• While 99% of plastic is recycled, they constitute heavier plastics that are likely to be collected by ragpickers and plastic waste recyclers.
• Single use plastics do not provide an incentive enough for the effort needed to collect them and hence they lie around, leach their toxins into the soil and cause environmental damage in both land and sea.

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Attero Recycling, one of India’s largest electronic waste management companies, is set to invest close to $1 billion in expanding their electronic waste recycling facilities in India.

E-waste Management: A tricky task

• E-waste management is a complicated process given the multitude of actors that are involved in the process.
• The major stakeholders in the value chain include importers, producers/manufacturers, retailers (businesses/government/others), consumers (individual households, businesses, government and others), traders, scrap dealers, dissemblers/dismantlers and recyclers.
• To critically assess each in the different stages of processing, it is important to understand the e-waste value chain.
• The process involves four stages: generation, collection, segregation and treatment/disposal.

India’s regulatory ecosystem

• Indian electronics sector boomed in the last decade.
• Increased production and penetration of imported electronics items led to an accelerated e-waste generation that necessitated regulatory control over the sector.
• India has Electronic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2011 in place since . Its scope was expanded in 2016 and 2018 through amendments.

Provisions of the 2011 Rules

• To streamline e-waste management, the Government introduced Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) whereby producers were required to collect and recycle electronic items.
• Since manufacturers were incurring the disposal cost, their designs would incorporate less toxic and easily recyclable materials, thereby reducing input material requirements.

Inherent flaws in Implementation

• Recycling: Less than five percent of the waste is treated through formal recycling facilities.
• Informal sector: The rest is handled by the informal sector with very little enforcement of environmental and occupational safety norms.
• Weak Regulations: A deeper analysis revealed that the EPR regulations in India were not quantified through collection or recycling targets as in other countries with better implementation framework and mechanisms.
• Lack of incentivization: In the absence of targets, producers had little incentive to ensure the collection of their used products.

Current scenario and issues in e-waste recycling

• Crude and Scrappage: As of today, some 95% of e-waste is managed by the informal sector which operates under inferior working conditions and relies on crude techniques for dismantling and recycling.
• Infrastructure lacunae: Another important issue is the lack of sufficient metal processing infrastructure which is why recyclers have to export materials to global smelters.
• Price competencies: As aggregators are mostly informal, they demand up-front cash payments.
• Bloomed informal network: The informal network is well-established and rests on social capital ties that PROs have yet to establish and are hence insulated from reaching the viable number of aggregators.
• Policy failure: Policy changes have tried repeatedly to formalize the sector, but issues of implementation persist on the ground.

Way forward

• Effective design: Since India is highly deficient in precious mineral resources, there is a need for a well-designed, robust and regulated e-waste recovery regime that would generate jobs and wealth.
• Consumer responsibility: The consumers must responsibly consume the product for its useful life and then weigh between the chances of repair or disposal with utmost consciousness towards the environment.
• Recyclable products: On the supply side, e-waste can be reduced when producers design electronic products that are safer, and more durable, repairable and recyclable.
• Reuse: Manufacturers must reuse the recyclable materials and not mine rare elements unnecessarily to meet new production.
• Commercial recycling: Rather than hoping that informal recyclers become formal it would be more feasible for companies and the state to design programs ensure e-waste easily makes its way to proper recyclers.

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Context

The UN Environment Assembly meeting in February-March 2022 may finalise a way forward for global cooperation on the emissions of plastic waste into the aquatic ecosystems.

Plastic as a consumption externality

• Plastics represent an example of a consumption externality, which involves many people, rather than a production externality, which involves one or multiple firms.
• Why is it challenging to address? Consumption externality is more challenging to address, as it is difficult to differentiate the behaviour of consumers.

2 Approaches and issues with them

• Imposing the cost of the harm on all consumers may not yield efficient solutions.
• As the number of consumers is high, the cost of controlling them is also high.
• 1] Banning plastic: This approach promotes a sustainable environment, intergenerational equity, saves marine and wildlife ecosystems, and restores soil quality.
• But it also causes inconvenience for consumers, increases substitution cost, and creates unemployment shocks as it affects the production of plastics, leading to less economic activity, less income generation and finally less employment.
• 2] Tax on plastic: Other key aspects that may be considered for global cooperation are the options if plastics are banned, the effectiveness of imposing tax and the potential problems with both these approaches.
• It is difficult to identify the exact tax to be imposed, which may depend on country-specific circumstances.

Way forward

1] Command and control approach

• The environment regulation for plastics may include a ‘command and control’ approach, and fiscal reforms like eco-taxes or subsidies.
• The efficiency of such a regulation depends on its architecture — how well it is planned, designed and executed. It should be credible, transparent and predictable.

2] Fiscal reforms like eco-taxes or subsidies

• Eco-taxes may be imposed in the various stages of production, consumption or disposal of plastics.
• Pollution due to plastics may happen during the production stage.
• That is the logic for imposing tax on polluting inputs, as it forces the producer to look for cleaner substitutes.
• Pollution also occurs during the consumption stage, and thus an eco-tax is recommended to discourage consumption.

3] Estimating the social cost at the local and global level

• Social cost should be evaluated differently in the local/regional and global contexts.
• While health and hygiene are predominant considerations in the former case, climate change is the predominant consideration in the latter.
• Ideally, eco-tax rates on plastics ought to be equal to the marginal social cost arising from the negative externality associated with production, consumption or disposal of goods and services.

Comprehensive policy measures

• Comprehensive policy measures against plastics may generally involve three complementary activities:
• 1] The removal of existing taxes and subsidies that have a negative environmental impact.
• 2] Taking into account the different types or grades of plastics.
• 3] Restructuring existing taxes in an environmentally friendly manner.
• Other suggestions include: Promoting multiple use of plastics through better waste management,
• Educating the public on the harmful use of plastics,
• Providing subsidy for research and development activity for substitute development.
• Appropriate disposal mechanisms and waste management and use of waste for constructive usage like roads.

Conclusion

The key aspects that may be considered for global cooperation are the options if plastics are banned, the effectiveness of imposing tax and the potential problems with both these approaches.

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The problem of marine plastic pollution has reached a new peak. Hence it must be tackled from various perspectives. This article discusses some of them.

Plastic use in India

• The Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) Annual Report on Implementing the Plastic Garbage Rules, 2016, is the only regular estimate of the quantum of plastic waste generated in India.
• According to it, the waste generated in 2018-19 was 3,360,043 tonnes per year (roughly 9,200 tonnes per day).
• Given that total municipal solid waste generation is between 55 and 65 million tonnes per day, plastic waste contributes about 5-6 per cent of total solid waste generated in India.

What happens to Plastic Waste?

• Only nine per cent of all plastic waste has ever been recycled.
• Approximately 12 per cent has been burnt, while the remaining 79 per cent has accumulated in landfills.
• Plastic waste is blocking our sewers, threatening marine life and generating health risks for residents in landfills or the natural environment.

Marine plastic pollution

• Incredibly vast and deep, the ocean acts as a huge sink for global pollution. Some of the plastic in the ocean originates from ships that lose cargo at sea.
• Abandoned plastic fishing nets and longlines – known as ghost gear – is also a large source, making up about 10% of plastic waste at sea.
• Marine aquaculture contributes to the problem, too, mainly when the polystyrene foam that’s used to make the floating frames of fish cages makes its way into the sea.
• The financial costs of marine plastic pollution are significant as well.
• According to conservative forecasts made in March 2020, the direct harm to the blue economy of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will be $2.1 billion per year.

Threats posed to coastal areas

• Enormous social costs accompany these economic costs.
• Residents of coastal regions suffer from the harmful health impacts of plastic pollution and waste brought in by the tides and are inextricably linked to the fishing and tourism industry for their livelihoods.
• Therefore, we must begin finding solutions to prevent plastics and other waste from polluting our oceans and clean them up.

Tackling the issue

The problem of marine plastic pollution can — and must — be tackled from a range of perspectives. Some of the solutions are as follows:

1.Designing a product: Identifying plastic items that can be replaced with non-plastic, recyclable, or biodegradable materials is the first step. Find alternatives to single-use plastics and reusable design goods by working with product designers.

2.Pricing: Plastics are inexpensive because they are made with substantially subsidized oil and may be produced at a lower cost, with fewer economic incentives to employ recycled plastics.

3.Technologies and Innovation: Developing tools and technology to assist governments and organizations in measuring and monitoring plastic garbage in cities. ‘Closing the loop’ project of the UN assists cities in developing more inventive policy solutions to tackle the problem. A similar approach can be adopted in India. 

4.Promoting a plastic-free workplace: All catering operations should be prohibited from using single-use plastics. To encourage workers and clients to improve their habits, all single-use goods can be replaced with reusable items or more sustainable alternatives.

5.Producer responsibility: Extended responsibility can be applied in the retail (packaging) sector, where producers are responsible for collecting and recycling products that they launch into the market.

6.Municipal and community actions: Beach and river clean-ups, public awareness campaigns explaining how people’s actions contribute to marine plastic pollution (or how they may solve it) and disposable plastic bag bans and levies.

7.Multi-stakeholder collaboration: Government ministries at the national and local levels must collaborate in the development, implementation and oversight of policies, which includes participation from industrial firms, non-governmental organisations and volunteer organisations. Instead of acting in silos, all these stakeholders must collaborate and synchronise with one another.

Way forward

• Solving the problem of marine plastic involves a change in production and consumption habits, which would help meet the SDGs.
• Apart from the solutions mentioned above, the government can take several steps to combat plastic pollution.
• Identifying hotspots for plastic leakage can assist governments in developing effective policies that address the plastic problem directly.

Answer this PYQ in the comment box:

Q.Why is there a great concern about the ‘microbeads’ that are released into environment? (CSP 2019)

(a) They are considered harmful to marine ecosystems.

(b) They are considered to cause skin cancer in children.

(c) They are small enough to be absorbed by crop plants in irrigated fi elds.

(d) They are often found to be used as food adulterants.

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The draft Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2021, issued by the MoEFCC has necessitated a few changes in the country’s handling of its plastic waste.

Background

• The Environment Ministry had first notified the Plastic Waste Management Rules in March 2016.
• It had provisions for effective and improved collection, segregation, processing, treatment and disposal of plastic waste.

What are the 2021 rules?

Phasing out Single-use Plastics

Single-use plastics have been defined under the rules as “a plastic commodity intended to be used once for the same purpose before being disposed of or recycled”.

• The rules have proposed to ban the manufacture, use, sale, import and handling of some single-use plastic items on a ‘pan India basis.
• The provisions will also apply to ‘multi-layered packaging’ – involved extensively in e-commerce and deliver services- but will exempt packaging used for imported goods.
• They shall apply to every waste generator, local body, Gram Panchayat, manufacturer, Importers and producer as well as ‘brand-owner and “plastic waste processor (recycler, co-processor, etc.)
• Thermoset plastic and Thermoplastic will also fall within the ambit of these rules.
• These provisions will, however, not apply to commodities (including carrying bags) made of compostable plastic material, according to the rules.

The draft is proposed to be implemented in three stages starting this year and culminating in mid-2022.

Stage I

• The first set of rules propose that each sheet of non-woven plastic carry bag shall not be less than 60 (GSM per square metre) or 240 microns in thickness. A carry bag made of virgin or recycled plastic shall not be less than 120 microns, with effect from the same date.

Stage II

• The second stage will come into effect when six categories of single-use plastic — earbuds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene (thermocol) for decoration — will be banned for sale, use, manufacture, stocking, import and distribution.

Stage III

• In the third stage, the list of banned items will grow to include single-use plastic plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays, wrapping/packing films around sweet boxes; invitation cards; cigarette packets, plastic/PVC banners less than 100 micron and stirrers.

Local bodies and state pollution control boards will ensure the implementation and enforcement of these rules.

What else is covered?

One, the amendment has extended the applicability of the rules to brand-owner, plastic waste processor, including the recycler, co-processor, etc.  It will also include new definitions of:

• Non-woven plastic bag
• Plastic waste processing
• Single-use plastic (SUP) item
• Thermoset plastic
• Thermoplastic

Try this PYQ:

Q.In India, ‘extended producer responsibility’ was introduced as an important feature in which of the following?

(a) The Bio-medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998

(b) The Recycled Plastic (Manufacturing and Usage) Rules, 1999

(c) The e-Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011

(d) The Food Safety and Standard Regulations, 2011

Why such a move?

• As much as 3.3 million metric tonnes of plastic waste was generated in India in 2018-19, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) report 2018-19.
• The total municipal solid waste generation is 55-65 million tonnes; plastic waste is approximately 5-6 per cent of the total solid waste generated in the country.
• Goa has the highest per capita plastic waste generation at 60 grams per capita per day, which is nearly double what Delhi generates (37 grams per capita per day).
• Clearly, we do not know the amount of plastic we generate as a country, as the increase in wealth and affluence contributes to a higher generation of plastic waste.
• Despite the Plastic Waste Management legislation of 2011, followed by numerous changes in the recent past, most parts of the country lack systematic efforts required to mitigate the risks associated with plastic waste.

Way ahead

Managing plastic waste requires effective knowledge, not only among those who produce plastic but also among those who handle it.

• Brand owners, consumers, recyclers and regulatory authorities need to take long strides in ensuring that we first inventorize the total amount of plastic waste that we generate by means of proper calculations.
• The second step would be to identify the avenues where the use of plastic can be minimised.
• Third, the brand owner and manufacturer should try and understand the fates a plastic packaging material would meet after its purpose of packaging has been served.
• Last, as consumers, we should ensure that all plastic waste leaving our homes is segregated and is not contaminated with food waste.

Conclusion

• Plastic, without a doubt, is a miracle commodity that has uses ranging from increasing shelf lives of eatables to medical equipment and automotive.
• Their waste management needs due attention. And the draft policies is a significant step in this direction.

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The Ghazipur landfill site rises by nearly 10 metres a year and is expected to surpass the height of Qutub Minar and other vertical structures in the country.

Try this PYQ from CSP 2016:

Q.What can be the impact of excessive/inappropriate use of nitrogenous fertilizers in agriculture?

1. Proliferation of nitrogen-fixing microorganisms in soil can occur.
2. Increase in the acidity of soil can take place.
3. Leaching of nitrate to the ground-water can occur.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

What are Landfills?

• A landfill site, also known as a tip, dump, rubbish dump, garbage dump, or dumping ground, is a site for the disposal of waste materials.
• Some landfill sites are also used for waste management purposes, such as temporary storage, consolidation and transfer, or for various stages of processing waste material, such as sorting, treatment, or recycling.

Threats posed by landfills

Landfills have the potential to cause a number of issues. Infrastructure disruption, such as damage to access roads by heavy vehicles, may occur amongst others.

1) Leachate

• When precipitation falls on open landfills, water percolates through the garbage and becomes contaminated with suspended and dissolved material, forming leachate.
• If this is not contained it can contaminate groundwater.

2) Decomposition gases

• Rotting food and other decaying organic waste create decomposition gases, especially CO2 and CH4 from aerobic and anaerobic decomposition, respectively.
• Both processes occur simultaneously in different parts of a landfill.

3) Other threats

• Poorly run landfills may become nuisances because of vectors such as rats and flies which can spread infectious diseases.
• The occurrence of such vectors can be mitigated through the use of daily cover.
• Other potential issues include wildlife disruption due to occupation of habitat and animal health disruption caused by consuming waste from landfills, dust, odour, noise pollution, and reduced local property values.

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