TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER PARTICULARS PAGE NO.

1 Introduction to the project 1

2 Solid waste management 4

3 AARNA Foundation 19

4 Waste management in Mumbai 25

5 Workings with AARNA Foundation 33

6 Observation and Conclusion 39

7 References 41

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 INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT
India is the second largest nation in the world, with a population of 1.21 billion, accounting
for nearly 18% of world’s human population, but it does not have enough resources or
adequate systems in place to treat its solid wastes. Its urban population grew at a rate of
31.8% during the last decade to 377 million, which is greater than the entire population of
US, the third largest country in the world according to population. India is facing a sharp
contrast between its increasing urban population and available services and resources. Solid
waste management (SWM) is one such service where India has an enormous gap to fill.
Proper municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal systems to address the burgeoning amount of
wastes are absent. The current SWM services are inefficient, incur heavy expenditure and are
so low as to be a potential threat to the public health and environmental quality. Improper
solid waste management deteriorates public health, causes environmental pollution,
accelerates natural resources degradation, causes climate change and greatly impacts the
quality of life of citizens.

SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN MUMBAI

Mumbai has a coastal stretch of 603 sq km. Geographically, the city of Mumbai can be
divided into three sections, namely, the island city (or main city), the western suburbs and the
eastern suburbs. These are also known for administrative purposes as Division I, Division II
and Division III, respectively. The total population of the city amounts to nearly 13million
that is increasing on a daily basis. Such a huge habitat obviously generates a huge amount of
waste of many kinds the management of which is a massive task for the local administration.

WASTE GENERATION:

Mumbai generates waste to the tune of approximately 7,025tonnes per day. The waste
consists of:

 5,025tonnes of mixed waste (bio-degradable and recyclable)

 2,000tonnes of debris and silt.

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The biodegradable waste (wet waste) is made up of vegetable and fruit remainders, leaves,
spoiled food, eggshells, cotton, etc. Recyclable (dry waste) consists of newspapers,
thermocol, plastic, battery cells, wires, iron sheets, glass, etc. Debris includes construction
waste, renovation waste, demolition waste, etc. Silt comprises earth and clay from drains and
road corners. It is estimated that by 2008 such waste will aggregate 9,000tonnes per day due
to increase in the city's population. Solid wastes are those organic and inorganic waste
materials produced by various activities of the society, which have lost their value to the first
user. Improper disposal of solid wastes pollutes all the vital components of the living
environment (i.e., air, land and water) at local and global levels.

OBJECTIVES OF STUDY

 To understand the workings of NGO

 To understand solid waste management system followed in the Mumbai
 To identify the potential environmental impact from the generation of waste from the
site.

RESEARCH METHODOLGY
In this report, the data is collected from primary and secondary sources.

Primary data – Primary data is collected from the first hand information collected from the
people associated with NGO.

Secondary Data – Secondary data is collected from the online website of the NGO,
newspaper articles, research papers and other online sources.

LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

 The study is inclusive only the sites covered under the NGO and not the city as a
whole.

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 SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

What is a solid waste?

 Trash/garbage that is solid in nature (and not liquid or gas)

 Discarded solid material from industrial, municipal and agricultural activities
 Household material consisting of everyday garbage, food and yard waste
 Includes construction waste, biomedical waste, electronic waste (or e-waste) or even
sewage sludge as part of different industries.

WHAT IS SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT ?

Waste management is the entire process from collection of waste from source till its disposal.
This includes all processes like transportation, analysis, legal procedures, along with
monitoring and enforcing regulations. There are a number principles related to waste
management, but a generally accepted concept is one of the ‘Hierarchy of Waste
Management’. Waste management are the activities and actions required to manage waste
from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment and
disposal of waste, together with monitoring and regulation of the waste management process.

Waste can be solid, liquid, or gaseous and each type has different methods of disposal and
management. Waste management deals with all types of waste, including industrial,
biological and household. In some cases waste can pose a threat to human health.

Waste is produced by human activity, for example the extraction and processing of raw
materials. Waste management is intended to reduce adverse effects of waste on human health,
the environment or aesthetics.

A large portion of waste management practices deal with municipal solid waste (MSW)
which is the bulk of the waste that is created by household, industrial, and commercial
activity.

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The image above shows waste management strategies according to their maximum effect on
waste minimisation. The flowchart below illustrates the functional elements of waste
management in a simple way.

Waste handling and disposal practices vary in different demographics. In India, the practices
vary depending on the type of solid waste which has been classified as

⦁ Municipal Solid Waste.

⦁ Hazardous Solid Waste.

Municipal solid waste is again classified into different types like biodegradable substances
(rotten or waste foodstuffs and general kitchen waste), recyclable materials and domestic

5
hazardous waste (light bulbs, batteries, etc). Hazardous solid waste is industry generated
which need special disposal techniques.

Solid waste management is an integral part of the environmental domain of any region.
Inefficient waste disposal systems lead to environmental pollution along with presenting
severe health hazards. As shown in the diagram above, solid waste management generally
includes a collection of waste, transporting waste, processing and recycling it, and finally
disposal of waste.

Today, the most general method of waste disposal is by using landfills. Olden landfills are
being covered and the present day sanitary landfills are not just dumped sites. They are
designed and customized pertaining to the region, type of waste and other environmental
factors. The primary purpose of this is to dispose of waste effectively without causing health
risks or contributing to environmental pollution.

Waste management or waste disposal are all the activities and actions required to manage
waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes amongst other things collection,
transport, treatment and disposal of waste together with monitoring and regulation. It also
encompasses the legal and regulatory framework that relates to waste management
encompassing guidance on recycling.

Waste can take any form that is either solid, liquid, or gas and each have different methods of
disposal and management. Waste management normally deals with all types of waste whether
it was created in forms that are industrial, biological, household, and special cases where it
may pose a threat to human health. It is produced due to human activity such as when
factories extract and process raw materials. Waste management is intended to reduce adverse
effects of waste on health, the environment or aesthetics.

Waste management practices are not uniform among countries (developed and developing
nations); regions (urban and rural areas), and sectors (residential and industrial).

A large portion of waste management practices deal with municipal solid waste (MSW)
which is waste that is created by household, industrial, and commercial activity.

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 CENTRAL PRINCIPLES OF WASTE MANAGEMENT

Diagram of the waste hierarchy

There are a number of concepts about waste management which vary in their usage between
countries or regions. Some of the most general, widely used concepts include:

 Waste hierarchy

The waste hierarchy refers to the "3 R’s" reduce, reuse and recycle, which classify
waste management strategies according to their desirability in terms of waste
minimisation. The waste hierarchy remains the cornerstone of most waste
minimisation strategies. The aim of the waste hierarchy is to extract the maximum
practical benefits from products and to generate the minimum amount of waste; see:
resource recovery. The waste hierarchy is represented as a pyramid because the basic
premise is for policy to take action first and prevent the generation of waste. The next
step or preferred action is to reduce the generation of waste i.e. by re-use. The next is

7
recycling which would include composting. Following this step is material recovery
and waste-to-energy. Energy can be recovered from processes i.e. landfill and
combustion, at this level of the hierarchy. The final action is disposal, in landfills or
through incineration without energy recovery. This last step is the final resort for
waste which has not been prevented, diverted or recovered. The waste hierarchy
represents the progression of a product or material through the sequential stages of the
pyramid of waste management. The hierarchy represents the latter parts of the life-
cycle for each product.

 Reduction of Wastes

The reduction of wastes or source reduction is the second preferred option of the
waste management hierarchy. According to this concept, the companies should take
action to make changes in the type of materials that are being used for the production
of the specific products, so as to ensure that the by-products are of the least toxicity.

This approach helps the industries in various ways. In this way, the industries can be
able to effectively save the natural resources.

 Reuse

Reuse is another effective Solid waste management strategy, in which the waste is not
allowed to enter into the disposal system. The wastes are collected in the middle of
the production phase and are again fed along with the source to aid in the production
process. This process helps in minimizing the amount of wastes produced as end
product, saves the natural resources and reduces the costs associated with the
production and manufacturing.

 Recycle

In the recycling strategy, the waste materials are implemented in the production of a
new product. In this process, the waste materials of various forms are collected and

8
 then processed. Post processing, they enter into the production lines to give rise to
new products. This process prevents pollution and saves energy.

 Energy Recovery

The energy recovery process is also called as waste to energy conversion. In this
process; the wastes that cannot be recycled are being converted into useable forms of
energy such as heat, light and electricity etc. This helps in the saving of various
natural resources. Various processes such as combustion, anaerobic digestion, landfill
gas recovery, gasification are being implemented to carry out the conversion process.

 Treatment and Disposal

The disposal process holds the last position in the waste management hierarchy.
Landfills are the common form of waste disposal.

 Life-cycle of a product

The life-cycle begins with design, then proceeds through manufacture, distribution,
use and then follows through the waste hierarchy's stages of reduce, reuse and recycle.
Each of the above stages of the life-cycle offers opportunities for policy intervention,
to rethink the need for the product, to redesign to minimize waste potential, to extend
its use. The key behind the life-cycle of a product is to optimize the use of the world's
limited resources by avoiding the unnecessary generation of waste.

 Resource efficiency
Resource efficiency reflects the understanding that current, global, economic growth
and development cannot be sustained with the current production and consumption
patterns. Globally, we are extracting more resources to produce goods than the planet
can replenish. Resource efficiency is the reduction of the environmental impact from
the production and consumption of these goods, from final raw material extraction to
last use and disposal. This process of resource efficiency can address sustainability.

9
 An example of such a source in which we are extracting to produce more goods and
causes damage to the environment is the waste of fossil fuels. An example of such a
fossil fuel is the waste of energy. 32% of energy wasted for grains, 25.3% energy
wasted in vegetables, 23.4% wasted in fruit, 32% wasted in dairy, 16% wasted in
meat, poultry, and fish, 31.4% wasted in eggs. This shows how much energy we are
wasting by wasting grains, vegetables, fruit, dairy, meat, poultry, fish and eggs.
Additionally, that is just the energy associated with growing those food commodities.
There is also more energy associated in packaging and transporting those goods. At
the end of the day, we are not using our resources efficiently by wasting food. The
amount of energy that is wasted in food loss is also the amount of energy taken from
other sources that perhaps need it and can make a better use from it.

 Polluter-pays principle
The polluter-pays principle is a principle where the polluting party pays for the impact
caused to the environment. With respect to waste management, this generally refers to
the requirement for a waste generator to pay for appropriate disposal of the
unrecoverable material.

WASTE MANAGEMENT IN INDIA

The solid waste policy in India specifies the duties and responsibilities for hygienic waste
management for cities and citizens of India. This policy was framed in September 2000,
based on the March 1999 Report of the Committee for Solid Waste Management in Class 1
cities of India to the Supreme Court, which urged statutory bodies to comply with the report’s
suggestions and recommendations. These also serve as a guide on how to comply with the
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) rules. Today, India is one of the places in the world where
most garbage is disposed. Indian landfills contain dangerous materials, including plastics and
chemicals. Both the report and the rules, summarised below, are based on the principle that
the best way to keep streets clean is not to dirty them in the first place. So a city with street

10
bins will ultimately become clean and stay clean. They advocate daily doorstep collection of
"wet" (food) wastes for composting, which is the best option for India. The decrease in cost
of old bottles has created waste disposal problem in Kerala, India. This is not only because
composting is a cost-effective process practiced since old times,[citation needed] but also
because India’s soils need organic manures to prevent loss of fertility through unbalanced use
of chemical fertilizers.

WASTE GENERATION IN INDIA

India is experiencing rapid urbanization while remaining a country with physical, climatic,
geographical, ecological, social, cultural and linguistic diversity. The population of India was
1252 million in 2013, compared with 1028 million in 2001. Population growth is a major
contributor to increasing MSW in India.

GROWTH OF MEGA CITIES IN INDIA

Megacities are a relatively recent phenomenon, associated with globalization of the economy,
culture and technology. Megacities in India include Ahmedabad (6.3 million), Hyderabad
(7.7 million), Bangalore (8.4 million), Chennai (8.6 million), Kolkata (14.1 million), Delhi
(16.3 million) and Greater Mumbai (18.4 million). These have dynamic economic growth and
high waste generation per capita.

INFRASRUTURE DEVELOPMENT FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND PROTECTION

OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Improvements in civil infrastructure are required for India to become a world leading
economy. Developing high-quality infrastructure that meets the needs of the people and
protects the environment is fundamental to achieving effective economic growth. Waste
management infrastructure has an important role in delivering sustainable development.
Rapid population growth in India has led to depletion of natural resources. Wastes are
potential resources and effective waste management with resource extraction is fundamental
to effective SWM. Value extraction from waste can be materials, energy or nutrients, and this

11
can provide a livelihood for many people. The transition from wastes to resources can only be
achieved through investment in SWM as this depends on a coordinated set of actions to
develop markets and maximize recovery of reusable/recyclable materials. Materials, energy
and nutrient recovery must be the aim of future SWM infrastructure development in India.
Resources can be recovered from wastes using existing technologies and India has an
extremely effective recycling tradition. The ‘scrap dealer’ systems produce recycled materials
through an extensive and well-coordinated network across the country.

STATISTICS ON WASTE GENERATION AND WASTE CHARACTERIZATION

DATA

Estimating the quantity and characteristics of MSW in India and forecasting future waste
generation is fundamental to successful waste management planning. The quantity of MSW
generated depends on living standards, the extent and type of commercial activity, eating
habits and season. India generates approximately 133 760 tonnes of MSW per day, of which
approximately 91 152 tonnes is collected and approximately 25 884 tonnes is treated. MSW
generation per capita in India ranges from approximately 0.17 kg per person per day in small
towns to approximately 0.62 kg per person per day in cities.

Waste generation rate depends on factors such as population density, economic status, level
of commercial activity, culture and city/region. Data on MSW generation in different states,
indicating high waste generation in Maharashtra (115 364–19 204 tonnes per day), Uttar
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal (11 523–15 363 tonnes per day), Andhra Pradesh, Kerala
(7683–11 522 tonnes per day) and Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka and
Mizoram (3842–7662 tonnes per day). Lower waste generation occurs in Jammu and
Kashmir, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Goa, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh,
Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland and Manipur (less than 3841 tonnes per day).

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WASTE CHARACTERIZATION DATA

The local economy impacts on waste composition, as high-income groups use more packaged
products, resulting in higher volumes of plastics, paper, glass, metals and textiles. Changes in
waste composition can have a significant impact on waste management practices. MSW may
also contain hazardous wastes such as pesticides, paints, used medicine and batteries.
Compostable organics include fruits, vegetables and food waste. Healthcare waste contains
disposable syringes, sanitary materials and blood containing textiles and is governed by the
Biomedical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 1998 and the Amended Rules, 2003,
and should not be mixed with MSW. The average composition of MSW produced by Indian
cities is approximately 41 wt.% organic, approximately 40 wt.% inert, with approximately 19
wt.% potentially recyclable materials. Most organic waste is generated from households, and
inert waste is generated from construction, demolition and road sweeping.

WASTE COLLECTION AND TRANSPORT

Waste collection, storage and transport are essential elements of any SWM system and can be
major challenges in cities. Waste collection is the responsibility of the municipal corporations
in India, and bins are normally provided for biodegradable and inert waste. Mixed
biodegradable and inert waste is often dumped, with open burning a common practice.
Improvements to waste collection and transport infrastructure in India will create jobs,
improve public health and increase tourism. Local bodies spend around Rs. 500–1000 per
tonne on SWM with 70% of this amount spent on collection and 20% spent on transport.

WASTE DISPOSAL

SWM disposal is at a critical stage of development in India. There is a need to develop

facilities to treat and dispose of increasing amounts of MSW. More than 90% of waste in
India is believed to be dumped in an unsatisfactory manner. It is estimated that approximately
1400 km2 was occupied by waste dumps in 2016 and this is expected to increase in the
future.

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WASTE HANDLING AND TRANSPORTATION

Waste collection methods vary widely among different countries and regions. Domestic
waste collection services are often provided by local government authorities, or by private
companies for industrial and commercial waste. Some areas, especially those in less
developed countries, do not have formal waste-collection systems.

WASTE HANDLING PRACTICES

Curb side collection is the most common method of disposal in most European countries,
Canada, New Zealand and many other parts of the developed world in which waste is
collected at regular intervals by specialised trucks. This is often associated with curb-side
waste segregation. In rural areas waste may need to be taken to a transfer station. Waste
collected is then transported to an appropriate disposal facility. In some areas, vacuum
collection is used in which waste is transported from the home or commercial premises by
vacuum along small bore tubes. Systems are in use in Europe and North America.

In some jurisdictions unsegregated waste is collected at the curb-side or from waste transfer
stations and then sorted into recyclables and unusable waste. Such systems are capable of
sorting large volumes of solid waste, salvaging recyclables, and turning the rest into bio-gas
and soil conditioner. In San Francisco, the local government established its Mandatory
Recycling and Composting Ordinance in support of its goal of "Zero waste by 2020",
requiring everyone in the city to keep recyclables and compostable out of the landfill. The
three streams are collected with the curbside bin system – blue for recyclables, green for
compostable, and black for landfill-bound materials – provided to residents and businesses
and serviced by San Francisco's sole refuse hauler, Recology. The City's "Pay-As-You-
Throw" system charges customers by the volume of landfill-bound materials, which provides
a financial incentive to separate recyclables and compostable from other discards. The City's
Department of the Environment's Zero Waste Program has led the City to achieve 80%
diversion, the highest diversion rate in North America. Other businesses such as Waste
Industries use a variety of colors to distinguish between trash and recycling cans.

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FINANCIAL MODELS

In most developed countries, domestic waste disposal is funded from a national or local tax
which may be related to income, or national house value. Commercial and industrial waste
disposal is typically charged for as a commercial service, often as an integrated charge which
includes disposal costs. This practice may encourage disposal contractors to opt for the
cheapest disposal option such as landfill rather than the environmentally best solution such as
re-use and recycling. In some areas such as Taipei, the city government charges its
households and industries for the volume of rubbish they produce. Waste will only be
collected by the city council if waste is disposed in government issued rubbish bags. This
policy has successfully reduced the amount of waste the city produces and increased the
recycling rate.

DISPOSAL METHODS

 Recycling :

Recycling is a resource recovery practice that refers to the collection and reuse of
waste materials such as empty beverage containers. The materials from which the
items are made can be reprocessed into new products. Material for recycling may be
collected separately from general waste using dedicated bins and collection vehicles, a
procedure called kerbside collection. In some communities, the owner of the waste is
required to separate the materials into different bins (e.g. for paper, plastics, metals)
prior to its collection. In other communities, all recyclable materials are placed in a
single bin for collection, and the sorting is handled later at a central facility. The latter
method is known as "single-stream recycling."

The most common consumer products recycled include aluminium such as beverage
cans, copper such as wire, steel from food and aerosol cans, old steel furnishings or
equipment, rubber tyres, polyethylene and PET bottles, glass bottles and jars,
paperboard cartons, newspapers, magazines and light paper, and corrugated fiber
board boxes.

15
 PVC, LDPE, PP, and PS are also recyclable. These items are usually composed of a
single type of material, making them relatively easy to recycle into new products. The
recycling of complex products (such as computers and electronic equipment) is more
difficult, due to the additional dismantling and separation required.

The type of material accepted for recycling varies by city and country. Each city and
country has different recycling programs in place that can handle the various types of
recyclable materials. However, certain variation in acceptance is reflected in the
resale value of the material once it is reprocessed. In July 2017, the Chinese
government announced an import ban of 24 categories of recyclables and solid waste,
including plastic, textiles and mixed paper, placing tremendous impact on developed
countries globally, which exported directly or indirectly to China.

Re-Use

 Biological reprocessing:

Recoverable materials that are organic in nature, such as plant material, food scraps,
and paper products, can be recovered through composting and digestion processes to
decompose the organic matter. The resulting organic material is then recycled as
mulch or compost for agricultural or landscaping purposes. In addition, waste gas
from the process (such as methane) can be captured and used for generating electricity
and heat (CHP/cogeneration) maximising efficiencies. The intention of biological
processing in waste management is to control and accelerate the natural process of
decomposition of organic matter.

 Energy recovery:

Energy recovery from waste is the conversion of non-recyclable waste materials into
usable heat, electricity, or fuel through a variety of processes, including combustion,
gasification, pyrolyzation, anaerobic digestion, and landfill gas recovery. This process
is often called waste-to-energy. Energy recovery from waste is part of the non-
hazardous waste management hierarchy. Using energy recovery to convert non-
recyclable waste materials into electricity and heat, generates a renewable energy

16
 source and can reduce carbon emissions by offsetting the need for energy from fossil
sources as well as reduce methane generation from landfills. Globally, waste-to-
energy accounts for 16% of waste management.

The energy content of waste products can be harnessed directly by using them as a
direct combustion fuel, or indirectly by processing them into another type of fuel.
Thermal treatment ranges from using waste as a fuel source for cooking or heating
and the use of the gas fuel, to fuel for boilers to generate steam and electricity in a
turbine. Pyrolysis and gasification are two related forms of thermal treatment where
waste materials are heated to high temperatures with limited oxygen availability. The
process usually occurs in a sealed vessel under high pressure. Pyrolysis of solid waste
converts the material into solid, liquid and gas products. The liquid and gas can be
burnt to produce energy or refined into other chemical products (chemical refinery).
The solid residue (char) can be further refined into products such as activated carbon.
Gasification and advanced Plasma arc gasification are used to convert organic
materials directly into a synthetic gas (syngas) composed of carbon monoxide and
hydrogen. The gas is then burnt to produce electricity and steam. An alternative to
pyrolysis is high temperature and pressure supercritical water decomposition
(hydrothermal monophasic oxidation).

 Resource recovery :

Resource recovery is the systematic diversion of waste, which was intended for
disposal, for a specific next use. It is the processing of recyclables to extract or
recover materials and resources, or convert to energy. These activities are performed
at a resource recovery facility. Resource recovery is not only environmentally
important, but it is also cost-effective. It decreases the amount of waste for disposal,
saves space in landfills, and conserves natural resources.

Resource recovery (as opposed to waste management) uses LCA (life cycle analysis)
attempts to offer alternatives to waste management. For mixed MSW (Municipal
Solid Waste) a number of broad studies have indicated that administration, source
separation and collection followed by reuse and recycling of the non-organic fraction

17
 and energy and compost/fertilizer production of the organic material via anaerobic
digestion to be the favoured path.

As an example of how resource recycling can be beneficial, many of the items thrown
away contain precious metals which can be recycled to create a profit, such as the
components in circuit boards. Other industries can also benefit from resource
recycling with the wood chippings in pallets and other packaging materials being
passed onto sectors such as the horticultural profession. In this instance, workers can
use the recycled chips to create paths, walkways, or arena surfaces.

 Sustainability:

The management of waste is a key component in a business' ability of maintaining

ISO14001 accreditation. Companies are encouraged to improve their environmental
efficiencies each year by eliminating waste through resource recovery practices,
which are sustainability-related activities. One way to do this is by shifting away from
waste management to resource recovery practices like recycling materials such as
glass, food scraps, paper and cardboard, plastic bottles and metal. An important
market for recycled materials is the construction sector. Many inorganic waste
streams can be used for the production of materials for construction. This includes the
recycling of concrete and bricks, mostly used as artificial gravel.

LIQUID WASTE- MANAGEMENT

 Sewage sludge:

Sewage sludge is the resulting product of waste water treatment processes. Due to
rapid urbanization, there has been an increase in municipal waste water that results
0.1–30.8 kg of sewage per population equivalent per year. Common disposal practices
of sewage sludge are incineration, composting, and landfill.

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 Avoidance and reduction methods:

An important method of waste management is the prevention of waste material being

created, also known as waste reduction. Methods of avoidance include reuse of
second-hand products, repairing broken items instead of buying new, designing
products to be refillable or reusable (such as cotton instead of plastic shopping bags),
encouraging consumers to avoid using disposable products (such as disposable
cutlery), removing any food/liquid remains from cans and packaging, and designing
products that use less material to achieve the same purpose (for example, light
weighting of beverage cans).

 International waste movement:

While waste transport within a given country falls under national regulations, trans-
boundary movement of waste is often subject to international treaties. A major
concern to many countries in the world has been hazardous waste. The Basel
Convention, ratified by 172 countries, deprecates movement of hazardous waste from
developed to less developed countries. The provisions of the Basel convention have
been integrated into the EU waste shipment regulation. Nuclear waste, although
considered hazardous, does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Basel Convention.

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20
 WASTE MANAGEMENT IN MUMBAI

AVERAGE GENERATION OF WASTE BY A CITIZEN OF MUMBAI

The generation of waste by an individual depends on the socio-economic conditions to which
the person belongs. For example, a rich family will generate nearly four to five kg of mixed
waste per day; a middle class family will generate between one to three kg of mixed waste
per day and a poor family, in slums, will generate close to 500grams per day.

MANAGEMENT OF WASTE

The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) is formally responsible for the
management of waste in the city. The prevailing approach has been one of collection and
disposal that is, garbage is collected from communities by the municipal authorities and
disposed off at the three main dumping sites that are currently servicing the city.

Garbage collectors employed by various housing societies manually collect the waste
generated at the household level and dump it in the garbage bin at specified street corners.
There are around 5,800 community bins in the city. In case of South Mumbai, trucks collect
garbage from the garbage bins and transport it to a transfer station which is located in
Mahalakshmi. A separate transport is arranged for transferring the garbage from
Mahalakshmi to the northern part of Mumbai where the dumping grounds are situated. From
all other parts of the city, garbage is sent directly to the dumping grounds. Nearly 95% of the
waste generated in the city is disposed off in this manner.

This largely manual operation involves 35,000 personnel employed by the MCGM and is
collected by a fleet of 800 vehicles, including vehicles hired from private contractors, that
work in shifts each day. MCGM spends about Rs15-20lakh per day on collecting and
transporting garbage and debris with municipal and private vehicles making about 2,000 trips
every day.

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THE CRISIS

1. Dumping Ground:

A dumping ground is, generally, a low-lying, and marshy area, which is located on the
outskirts of a city, where there is, usually, no human population. We have, in our city, three
dumping grounds which are located in the northern part of Mumbai at Gorai (Borivali),
Mulund and Deonar. A fourth one at Chincholi has recently closed down. Amongst the three,
Deonar is the largest dumping ground. All the dumping grounds are nearly 30-40km from
South Mumbai which explains the huge costs on transportation. The increase in the
population of the city has forced people to settle near the dumping grounds. This has led to
the twin problems of people living in unhealthy conditions and protesting for the closure of
the dumping grounds, as dumping causes health hazards for the people in the vicinity.

The average life of a dumping ground is 30 years. The remaining life of our largest dumping
ground, i.e., Deonar, is only five to six years and, so far, no alternative site has been found for
waste disposal. The waste, which offers an incentive after selling like paper, metal, etc., is
sold to informal dealers by rag pickers. But the other organic waste, old batteries, polystyrene
(thermocol), polythene bags, debris, to name a few, do not have such incentives and these are
in huge quantities. Also, since it takes a long time to decompose, when dumped, such waste
occupies and fills the low-lying areas. In fact, the search for a new dumping ground starts
only when the filling area of the dumping ground is exhausted. Basically, the lower the waste,
the longer the life of the dumping ground and vice versa.

The waste at the dumping ground is covered with debris and spread evenly in layers. The
organic waste undergoes natural decomposition and generates a fluid, which is known a
leachate, and is very harmful to the ecosystem, if not treated properly. The leachate
penetrates the soil and, if not prevented, pollutes the ground water. Also, flies, mosquitoes
and many other pests breed on the waste and unless properly maintained, the dumps are a
public health hazard.

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 2. Debris Disposal:

In Mumbai, every day 2,000tonnes of debris is generated officially, of which some part goes
to the dumping ground for spreading over the organic garbage, as earth is expensive. The
remaining debris is spread next to the roads, in the creeks, next to railway tracks and on open
grounds. Every day, somewhere or the other, in some building, some renovation takes place,
generating debris. This could be of houses or shops; it could be for repair of buildings or
demolition of old buildings for reconstruction. To give an example, if the external surface of
a building of 20 floors is repaired, the waste generated would be nearly 200 truckloads which
can be used either in filling low-lying areas or for reclamation. Presently, there is no way of
monitoring renovations and repairs because it does not need any permissions from
authorities. The concerned housing societies give the permissions for the renovations /
repairs; hence, no data is available on this. The only regulation, which has been imposed by
the Corporation, is that the area where the repairs, renovations and new constructions have
happened, needs to be cleaned up from all wastes, after the completion of work.

There are truckers who earn a livelihood by collecting this debris and transporting it for
disposal. However, disposing it off properly remains a concern, as there is very little space in
Mumbai. It has to be carted over long distances which increases transportation costs so
significantly as to make the entire “business” unprofitable. So it is dumped clandestinely in
the creeks, thus, destroying our valuable mangroves. As Mumbai has a coastal stretch of 603
sq. km, it has numerous creeks. These are channels of water which occupy marshy land
during high tide. The salty water occupies the land during high tide and drains off during low
tide. This nurtures plants called mangroves. These plants, in turn, have leaves which provide
oxygen to the water for fishes to breed in the creeks. In many areas, like Versova, Gorai,
Charkop and Mankhurd, the entire eco-system of the creek has been destroyed as waste is
dumped surreptitiously.

Increasing prices of land and more construction activities are forcing the demolition of old
structures and building new structures and creating more debris wastes. Debris, being very
bulky in nature, requires more space, reducing the life span of the dumping ground.
Therefore, municipalities, generally, refuse the entry of debris into dumping grounds other
than what they need to cover the garbage. Finding few viable alternatives, people just dump
the debris by roadsides. Over time, people start dumping organic waste on top of debris not
only compounding the waste disposal problem but also creating a health hazard.

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 3. Garbage Collection - Low Serviced Areas:

The garbage collection activity itself has several differences amongst the localities; there are
highly-serviced areas, medium-serviced areas and very low-serviced areas. The low-serviced
areas which are the slums; slums are not seen as the rightful recipients of the formal systems
of solid waste management (SWM). The local government extends its services only to
regularised slums which are declared official or recognised under the census of slums. This
step motherly treatment is, in effect, the city's own undoing, since slums form 60% of
Mumbai. Moreover, these artificial boundaries can hardly prevent the spread of dirt and
disease. A study done by Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action (YUVA) in 1998, covering
100 communities in the slum pocket of Jogeshwari (East), found that while residents were
aware of the problems related to inadequate practices of household disposal of waste and
systems of collection and transportation of garbage in the community, there was very little
community involvement in solving the problem.

4. Time for Waste To Decompose:

When the waste is dumped, it does not decompose very quickly and make way for the other
waste. The nature of waste being dumped and the time it takes to decompose, pose a serious
threat to the environment as well as human health. Given below are some examples to
understand how much time it takes for various materials to decompose.

Vegetables, Fruit Skins, Waste Food 3 - 4 weeks

Paper Bags 1 month
Cloth Bags 5 months
Wood Pieces 10 - 15 years
Leather Shoes and Sandals 40 – 50 years
Iron Sheets 50 – 100 years
Aluminium Sheets 200 – 250 years
Plastic Bags 1 Million years

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SCHEME

Slum Adoption Scheme:

It was experienced that because of the heterogeneous population in the slums there is no
sense of belongingness and it was realised that an attempt should be made to motivate and
involve the slum population by attaching certain incentives to work in cleaning the slums and
maintaining hygiene condition. It is in this background that the Slum Adoption Scheme
through community-based organisations and public participation has been started by the
MCGM.

INITIATIVES

Advanced Locality Management:

Advanced Locality Management (ALM) is local management of solid waste by citizens who
organise themselves to manage their waste. Wet waste is segregated at household level and
composted locally in any available area, planters, etc., and sweepers or rag pickers take dry
waste away. There are in all 643 ALMs along with 276 vermi-compost pits spread over six
zones of the MCGM's jurisdiction. This way, approximately 20- 25tonnes of garbage per day
is prevented from reaching the dump yards. An encouraging fact is that women run 80% of
these ALMs. The MCGM has also established vermicompost projects on its own, one each in
the eastern and western suburbs, respectively, to demonstrate to the citizens, the benefits of
vermi-culture technology.

The success of any ALM depends entirely upon people's participation. Organisation of the
community, training and initiation is done jointly by residents and MCGM, and is initially
funded by residents and the Corporation. At later stages, the activities are completely funded
by the residents.

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Recycling Debris:

Debris is recycled to make new construction-related products like bricks, interlocking pavers.
City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) and YUVA, an NGO, have
collaborated on this effort to convert the debris and reduce the load on dumping grounds.
Presently, the plant in Navi Mumbai converts three tonnes of debris per day. Set up in 1999,
this plant is one of its kind in the whole of India and has been successful in developing
products conforming to Indian Standard Codes of practice of the Central Government. The
plant has successfully completed recycling 1,000 tonnes of debris till date.

ParisarVikas Scheme:

Stree Mukti Sanghatana, an NGO, has initiated a scheme which focuses on uplifting the most
downtrodden section of the society -the rag picker women and children. This scheme is an
ideal solution, since rag pickers together with the ALM system manage the upkeep of their
environment. The rag pickers play an important role in managing the solid waste; they
retrieve all possible recyclable items from waste and, thus, put these materials back to proper
reuse. But, sadly the rag pickers are never recognised for the invaluable service they provide
to the city's solid waste management.

Role of the Citizens of Mumbai

The citizens of Mumbai have to be trained in the three 'Rs' with respect to management of
wastes.

Reduce:

As the budget of the Municipal Corporation indicate, as much as 28% is spent only on
transportation of waste. There is an urgent need to reduce the waste by cutting down on
transportation. The reduction of waste can happen only when we, as citizens of Mumbai,
reduce waste generation in the first place.

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Reuse:

Simple habits like carrying a cloth bag while going shopping will be helpful to reduce the
need for plastic bags. Please do not buy any products in a polythene bag and help the
environment as a whole.

Recycle:

To recycle, we should segregate our garbage at source. Wet garbage can be recycled by
composting or vermi-composting in your backyard or in the vicinity. This will produce good
manure that can be used for gardens and lawns. The dry garbage can be given to the rag
pickers who sell it to re-users.

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OTHER INITIATIVE ON WASTE MANAGEMENT IN THE CITY

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AARNA FOUNDATION
ABOUT AARNA FOUNDATION

Aarna Foundation is a registered body. The Foundation is registered under “Mumbai Public
Trust Act, 1950 of Government of India. The registration number is E30172(Mumbai)

Aarna Foundation was established in year 2013

Aarna foundation is a development organization. It’s a non-government, not-for-profit and

non-sectarian, non-partisan organization working for social development of underprivileged
children, Orphans and their family. It’s a human-centered NGO. Aarna foundation could also
be labelled as an implementing organization which designs and implements various
developmental projects.

Aarna Foundation works in the field of education, initiating school reform through The
School Project, and providing a supplemental education through Aarna’s centre. We are also
working for the women empowerment and special classes and coaching has been organized at
Aarna centres to train Woman on various courses.

TEAM

Aarna foundation was established by a group of young and energetic people who were highly
motivated and committed for contributing their time, skills and energies for the development
of underprivileged children & orphans& women to bringing positive changes in the lives of
them, their families and communities by providing free education and platform for women to
establish themselves in society. Team at PAN India Level is another set of dynamic
personalities who are working towards development of underprivileged children and their
community.

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Mrs. Shweta Saroj - Founder and Trustee

Mr. Chinu Kwatra - Co. Founder & District Secretary of All India Council of Human
Rights , Liberties and Social Justice

VISION

Aarna Foundation envisions a Developed Nation by Providing Education to Next Generation

& Empowering women.

MISSION

Aarna Foundation’s Mission is to “work for the development & empowerment of socio-
economically disadvantaged & vulnerable children and their family in India and assist them
in addressing their poverty-linked issues”

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OBJECTIVES

 To Help & support the underprivileged & orphan children to cope up with their
educational needs.
 To create a stress-free, equal, fun education environment for all.
 To offer maximum resources and to make education accessible to all.
 To improve the quality of living at all levels
 To make a developed nation where every child has the right to survival, protection,
development and participation
 To Promote of Education with Special Focus on Girls’ Education
 To Promote of Gender Equality & Women Empowerment, and Address Gender Based
Violence Issues
Address: Karma Veer Anand Dighe Marg, Karvalo Nagar, Thane West, Thane, Maharashtra
400606

VARIOUS INITIATIVES BY AARNA FOUNDATION

 Save the Beach – Dadar / Prabhadevi :

This campaign initiate the cleanliness of Dadar/Prabhadevi Beach to educate individuals,
companies, schools & organizations on how their environmental footprint impacts their
community and the world by participating in Save Our Beach environmental field trips and
beach & riverbed cleanups.

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  WOW – Worli :
During Beach cleanup drive, the team found out most of the garbage came from the Worli
Village. So, this initiative started to cleanup Worli village and to educate citizen there on
waste management in the locality.

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  Donate Sanitary Napkin:
Aarna foundation conducted a survey and found out that many underprivileged girls don’t go
to school during their periods. This campaign focus on spreading awareness to these
girls/women about the use of sanitary napkins and over cloth.

 Roti Ghar:

This initiative is to provide kids and women living in tiny makeshift huts in slum surrounded
by dumping ground who has minimal or no access to food at times, to provide healthy food
once in a day. Recently, Roti Ghar has completed 100 days and with this they also has
initiated main moto behind this initiative i.e. educating this underprivileged kids. They have
started their first mentoring session.

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 Educate women , Educate nation
 Fund raising and distribution of sanitary napkins
 Collection of kind – clothes and distribution
 Adoption of schools for providing stationary, sanitary napkins and education
 Providing food, shelter, clothes and education to the underprivileged children
 Waste management activities
 Donation Drive at Municipality school

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WORKING with AARNA FOUNDATION

CLEAN –UP – DRIVE

Beach clean-up at Dadar:

The great initiative taken by Mr. Chinu was Dadar beach clean-up drive. From the initial of
our project he was conducting this activity at Dadar beach. On the first Sunday after our
joining it was 29th week of cleanliness drive and me for the first time involving in such an
activity which has one slogan “We need only two helping hands for two hours”. As it was
Sunday so it was possible for anyone to join us for fun as well as contributing towards social
cause of saving the beach. At around 11.00 in the morning we reached at the destination
behind Kirti College, Prabhadevi Beach. Mr. Chinu guided all of us regarding from where to
start, and how and where to dump the trash collected etc. He provided us all safety needs and
with full of energy and with all safety needed we commenced working.

As we started collecting the trash we noticed it included 80% of plastic waste, clothes,
flowers, full coconut, idol parts made up of plaster of paris, bio medical waste, used sanitary
napkins etc. We worked hard continuously for 2 hours but yet it was the best experience we
got and even this made us realize that we human beings don’t bother about the waste and
throw it in canals, rivers, channels, and sometimes in the sea without having a second thought
of nature beauty and security. It is important to prevent our water bodies because it ultimately
throws out the trash again back on the cost-line which if not cleared on time may create
harmful disease. Later we also received help from BMC and we carried out this activity
altogether and collected near about 6-7 tonnes of trash till the end of the day. When we
started working, it was extreme low tide and so we were able to collect the trash going more
inside the sea. We managed collecting the trash from the water. We amongst us divided
ourselves in teams and then some students collected the garbage from beach and some
collected from the water as much as possible and dumped it in garbage truck. Later we also
got help from municipality as they send JCB for collecting the scattered garbage. The
municipality workers also co-ordinated with us and thanked us for helping them collecting all
garbage at the beach. During the garbage collection we also experienced how difficult it is for

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few of the workers to collect tonnes of garbage every day. We worked together and we got
the best result when we saw the cleaned beach, it gave us a great satisfaction of the hard work
done.

NGO IN NEWS

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37
WOW – Worli:

During the Dadar/ Prabhadevi beach clean drive, the survey was conducted by the NGO on
nearby localities. It was found out that the majority of the waste on the beach came from the
people living in the Worli village. This drive was initiated to educate the villagers living
nearby and to help them in cleaning the surroundings. There was no proper waste disposable
system in the village. Even after installing dustbins by B.M.C, the localities used to dump
their daily household waste in nearby surroundings.

Initially people were not ready to accept change. The situation was worse. When we joined
the activity, it was 2nd week of the drive. We visited place, it was full messy. There was
garbage all over the place. This place is the patch of Worli Fort facing the sealink. We
reached the location, we started the work, there were some B.M.C. workers who also joined
us along with some villagers. It took us 2 hours to clear that patch near fort. Almost 2 tonne
of dry garbage comprised of plastic, paper, alcohol bottles, diapers, plastic wrappers,
household waste, glass etc was collected.

During clean-up, we found out that even after the installation of public toilet, people living
there still used to go in open. Due to this open segregation of garbage near the sea, the
fisherman complained that the marine life got affected which also affect their income source.

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39
OBSERVATION AND CONCLUSION

OBSERVATION

The observation from the initiative are as follows

 During the clean up drive, it was observed that the people initially were not ready to
accept change. But after educating, they have also supported this initiative to clean
city.
 Citizen does not follow the garbage segregation in their daily waste disposition. They
mix all dry and wet waste.
 Municipal corporation also lack in collection and management of waste. Sometimes
they don’t collect waste from certain areas.

CONCLUSION

Population growth and particularly the development of megacities is making solid waste
management in India a major problem. The current situation is that India relies on inadequate
waste infrastructure, the informal sector and waste dumping. There are major issues
associated with public participation in waste management and there is generally a lack of
responsibility towards waste in the community. There is a need to cultivate community
awareness and change the attitude of people towards waste, as this is fundamental to
developing proper and sustainable waste management systems. Sustainable and economically
viable waste management must ensure maximum resource extraction from waste, combined
with safe disposal of residual waste through the development of engineered landfill and
waste-to-energy facilities. India faces challenges related to waste policy, waste technology
selection and the availability of appropriately trained people in the waste management sector.

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Until these fundamental requirements are met, India will continue to suffer from poor waste
management and the associated impacts on public health and the environment.

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REFERENCES

http://www.aarnafoundationindia.org/

http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/4/3/160764

http://www.mumbaidp24seven.in/reference/solidwaste.pdf

https://byjus.com/biology/solid-waste-management/

http://home.iitk.ac.in/~anubha/H16.pdf

http://swmindia.blogspot.in/p/introduction.html

http://www.epd.gov.hk/eia/register/report/eiareport/eia_01199/v1a-8.pdf

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