India's waste management crisis has serious implications for its environment, economy and public health. We focus on creating technologies and solutions that minimize waste generation and convert all waste into useful products. This includes initiatives to promote a circular economy through resource efficient and cleaner production in industries, and maximize resource recovery and recycling for landfill-free cities.
As we observe International Zero Waste Day on March 30, the global spotlight is on the critical need to eliminate waste from one of the most waste intensive and environmentally impactful industry: fashion and textiles. The sector utilizes substantial amount of resources like water, chemicals, energy and in turn generates massive amounts of waste, threatening the overall human and environmental welfare and underscoring the urgency of adopting sustainable and circular practices.
Urbanization and industrialization have placed a heavy load on the environment by generating billion tons of harmful garbage every year. A study by TERI found India, in a year, produces over 62 million tons (MT) of waste, making it a leading cause of environmental and public health concerns in the country.
World Environment Day 2023 serves as an important reminder that the actions we take to mitigate plastic pollution have a significant impact. Now, more than ever, we must intensify these efforts and swiftly transition to a circular economy. Avanti Roy-Basu and Girija K Bharat say that as the world celebrates World Environment Day in 2023, focusing on “solutions to plastic pollution under the campaign #BeatPlasticPollution”, it is crucial to understand that each one of us has multiple roles to play in addressing this global crisis.
The prevalence of microplastics in the environment has become a major global concern. Plastics based on their size are broadly classified as Macro and Microplastics (<5 mm) and enter the environment through various routes.
India generates close to 3.46 million tonnes of plastic waste annually and CPCB estimates suggest close to 60% of this waste is recycled.
As part of the DST-sponsored project “Innovative Interventions in Mokhada Block of Palghar District to Address Malnutrition and Enhance Livelihoods of ST Communities,” a two-day training workshop was conducted on November 27–28, 2024, in Hirve and Gonde Khurd villages. Led by Project Associates Vaishnavi Narvankar and Dr Ninad Marathe, 37 tribal women belonging to Self-Help Groups (SHGs) received training for the cultivation of oyster mushrooms and Azolla.
On October 25, 2024, TERI, in collaboration with VITO and AKTU, organized and conducted a workshop on "Ayodhya Waste-Climate Solutions” in Ayodhya as part of the project “Climate Resilience and Resilient Governance in India”: a pilot of capacity building and awareness in Ayodhya sponsored by G-STIC.This workshop provided a learning platform to the stakeholder engaged in Ayodhya’s waste management practices. It introduced the a MSW-Dashboard—a pioneering tool created by TERI and VITO to improve waste management through monitoring of key performance parameters.
On August 9, 2024, TERI welcomed Tata Projects’ delegation to its Gwal Pahari Campus for a comprehensive overview of TERI’s research work and sustainable practices. The visit aimed to align with Tata Projects’ sustainability goals and Tata Group’s Aalingana initiative, which is the north star of Tata Group’s sustainability journey.
The phase-out of DDT in India has been extended to meet the ongoing demand for exports, and there is a renewed emphasis on the transition to safer biopesticides by the end of 2025. A successful and sustainable transition necessitates a coordinated strategy that integrates scientific innovation, policy reform, and inclusive stakeholder engagement, writes Dr Ankur Khare, Associate Fellow, Circular Economy and Waste Management Division, TERI.
According to experts, assuming the current pace of biomining, more than three decades would be required to decongest Ghazipur alone—even without considering fresh waste arrivals on a daily basis. "Whatever target was set, we are still going very slow on that. So a more concerted approach needs to be followed," says Mr Suneel Pandey, Director of the Environment and Waste Management Division, TERI.
Due to increasing population, urbanization and consumerism, waste management has become a serious challenge says Dr Ankur Khare, Associate Fellow, Circular Economy & Waste Management Division, TERI.
Dr. Suneel Pandey, Senior Fellow and Director of the Circular Economy and Waste Management Division at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), emphasized that the most of the polymers are derived from fossil fuel-based petrochemical sectors. The Trump administration has indicated that oil corporations will persist in drilling, resulting in increased oil production. Plastic production will inevitably persist. They do not intend to diminish plastic production or use. Dr.
Biogas is considered a clean energy because the waste used to produce it is completely natural, said Dr Suneel Pandey, Senior Fellow and Director, The Energy and Resources Institute. He added it is a sustainable solution to make wealth from waste.
A report by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), which is concurrently undertaking a long-term study on froth formation found that the primary factors contributing to the sudden foam formation at Kalindi Kunj included the disturbance of the sludge bed, high turbulence at the barrage due to increased discharge, and the added load of organics from rainwater runoff.
In 2020, global municipal solid waste (MSW) generation reached 2.24 billion tonnes, a figure projected to rise to 3.88 billion tonnes by 2050. This increase will be largely driven by the fastest-growing regions, including sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East, where waste levels are expected to double or even triple.
Plastics not only are enduring, lightweight, and available at low prices, but also have very good thermal and electrical insulation properties. The versatile properties of various plastic polymers— being water-resistant, non-porous, ductile and malleable—make them suitable for manufacturing a wide range of products that also bring medical and technological advances in our modern society.
Fostering circularity in plastic use is an effective way to reduce contamination of marine and coastal environments with plastics and man-made debris. However, there are many challenges down this path.
Anthropogenic activities like (i) agriculture fertilisers, (ii) coastal pisciculture, (i) sewage discharge, (iv) industrial activity, (v) burning fossil fuels and (vi) effluents from ports increase nutrients in surface water and seas. Nitrate pollution is largely caused by agriculture run-off, discharge from industry and manure or sewage. Phosphate pollution is tied to improper treatment of detergents in wastewater and from agro-fertilisers.
Urban Sanitation and Need for Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) in India The Government of India has undertaken an ambitious social change endeavour of clean and open defecation free (ODF) India. Sustained efforts in this direction has improved the sanitation scenario in India, which in turn would help in achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 6 of universal and equitable access to safe and aff ordable drinking water and adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all.
