Why waste the wastes?

With every nook and corner of the city laced, with garbage, muck and waste, there's no denying the fact that Delhi has failed miserably in managing waste disposal in an economically-viable way. Little wonder then that 8,000 metric tonnes of solid wastes, contributed by the callousness of the citizens and the authorities alike, continue to lie untreated in the city. What really makes the situation worse is that concerned agencies, namely Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), have the capacity to treat only 5,000 metric tonnes of waste. This still leaves us grappling with a grim reality of 3,000 metric tonnes of untreated wastes per day. Waste disposal is one of the major problems faced by the city. Ideally, a major portion of the collected waste should be dumped in landfill sites. The recyclable content of this waste ranges between 13 and 20 per cent. In fact, in Delhi too, paper, plastic, glass, ferrous and non-ferrous metals and every other material that can be recycled can be effectively used to produce low-cost products for the lower-income groups of the society. The bitter truth, however, is that inadequate capacity for collection and transportation of municipal solid waste (MSW) has resulted in the uncollected waste finding its way into the sewers, or the stomach of the grazing cattle. Or it is just left to rot in the open or burnt on the roadsides. In addition to MSW, large quantity of waste, in both solid and liquid forms, is generated by the industrial sectors like breweries, sugar mills, distilleries, food-processing industries, tanneries, paper and pulp industries. Out of the total pollution contributed by the industrial sub-sectors, 40-45 per cent of the total pollutants can be traced to the processing of industrial chemicals and nearly 40 per cent of the total organic pollution to the food products industry alone. Together food products and agro-based industries are contributing to 65-70 per cent of the total industrial wastewater in terms of organic load. Disheartening statistics point unmistakably towards an alarming fact that nothing really seems right with the city. Look at the way Haldiram company, in a bid to make packets of those scrumptious bhujias and eatables, were simply dumping packets and waste right into the river. It's simply ridiculous because industries such as this one should ideally be a model for other smaller industries to manage waste disposal. In fact, the Tata Energy Research Institute has set up two plants, including the one in NOIDA, where the urban municipal waste, both solid and liquid, industrial waste, agro waste and biomass in different forms, can be treated effectively and potentially used for energy generation. Nirula's has been making ample use of these plants and such companies are a ray of hope and source of encouragement for other industries to follow suit. But, these measures can generate ample success only when a sense of responsibility dawns upon the citizens. Look at the Azadpur sabzi mandi for instance. It produces about 15 tonnes of vegetable waste everyday! The collection, transportation and disposal of this waste is a big problem. Thus, on one hand heaps of the uncollected waste, rotting in this market place, represents ugly sights, and on the other, they add to the pollution, causing numerous health problems. Ironically, owing to this very biodegradability and biochemical methane potential, it can be a very useful and promising feedstock for biogas generation. But, only if we know how to manage and channelize it. Undoubtedly, we have a large task at hand. One way by which we can really help the city to get a clean and healthy look, is by empowering various NGOs and giving them effective judicial power. Slapping fines on the litterbugs is an effective measure but implementing it with consistency is what will make the real difference. There also has to be a move towards sensitizing the citizens against littering. At the same time, there has to be a stricter enforcement of the laws. But most importantly, as in other fields, it is important to encourage private participation in waste disposal management too. We must remember that mismanagement of waste disposal is forcing the city to keep away from valuable biogas and good quality organic manure. A majority of waste, you'd find strewn all over the city, can actually be recycled and proved extremely useful. It?s time we realize not to waste the wastes; instead we have to realize that it's economically viable for the city.