Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) | Ecology

After reading this article you will learn about:- 1. Environmental Concern of Municipal Solid Waste Management 2. NEERI’S Contribution towards MSWM in India 3. Status in India 4. Rules.

Environmental Concern of Municipal Solid Waste Management:

The urban population of 285 million is concen­trated in a few large cities and 32 metropolitan cities are accounting for 34.5 per cent of the ur­ban population that is expected to reach 341 mil­lion by 2010 (census of India, 2001). The waste quantities are estimated to increase from 46 mil­lion tonnes in 2001 to 65 million tonnes in 2010.

The waste characteristics are expected to change due to urbanisation, increased commerciali­sation and standard of living. The present trend indicates that the paper and plastics content will increase while the organic content will decrease. The ash and earth content is also expected to de­crease mainly due to an increase in the paved sur­face.

Although, the organic content is expected to decrease, the material will still be amenable to bio-degradation and the calorific value will continue to be unsuitable for incineration. In keeping with the present practices and estimates of waste gen­eration, around 90% of the generated wastes are land filled requiring around 1200 hectare of land every year with an average depth of 3 m.

Due to rapid urbanisation, prevailing land use regula­tion and completing demands for available land, it is desirable that adequate land be earmarked at the planning stage itself for solid waste disposal. The larger quantities of solid waste and higher degree of urbanisation will necessitate better management involving a higher level of expenditure on man­power and equipment.

NEERI’S Contribution towards MSWM in India:

Since last three decades, at NEERI SWM Divi­sion has been carrying research, development and expertise extension programme to improve the status of waste management in the country. In order to perform practice-driven research, NEERI has been consistently working with the partner­ship of related organisations in the country.

The prominent best practices evolved during the last five years, are described below:

1. Preparation of strategy paper on SWM in In­dia;

2. Long term planning of SWM;

3. Bio-methanation of vegetable market wastes;

4. Greenhouse gas inventory estimation for waste sector, its uncertainty analysis and for­mulated measures to mitigate the same;

5. Utilisation of landfill site construction of Rail Car Depot;

6. Site selection criteria for sanitary landfills;

7. Utilisation of residue from destruction of soiled currency notes;

NEERI has successfully developed strategic long-term plans for a number of cities including metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Islands like Lakshadweep and Port Blair, among which many municipalities adopted the plan. NEERI is also assisting in implementation of the long-term plans.

NEERI has been actively engaged in vari­ous ecosystems like Island areas such as Lakshadweep, coastal areas such as Mumbai and others metropolitan cities and towns having dif­ferent geographical, climatologically and social environment in the country

Status of Municipal Solid Waste Management in India:

Central Pollution Control Board has carried out an inventory of municipal solid wastes generation, collection, transportation and disposal in Class-I cities and Class II towns in the country and pub­lished status reports under Control of Urban Pol­lution Series (CUPS).

The reports revealed follow­ing facts:

Class- I Cities:

1. The total Population of 299 Class-I cities (in­cluding 23 metro cities) is 13,99,66,369. The Maharashtra state and Ganga river basin have the highest population of Class-I cities.

2. Out of 299 Class-I cities, 210 dues have re­sponded to EPTRI’s queries. This works out to 75% of the total cities. 45% of the total cities have physical characteristics data.

3. The municipal Solid Waste Generated in 299 Class-I cities is 48,134 MT/day for the year 1994-95 and 59349 MT/day for the year 1999 (projected).

4. Bombay which has the highest population, also generates the maximum quantity of solid waste i.e. 5,355 MT/day.

5. About 37% o of the total municipal solid waste generated is from the cities located in Ganga basin and 18% in Maharashtra state.

6. The average per capita generation of solid waste for Class-I cities works out to 0.376 kg/ person/day. The per capita generation of solid waste ranges from 0.1 kg/day for Junagadh to 0.929 kg/day Jalgaon city.

7. Mode of collection by manual methods ac­counts for 51% and by trucks, 48%.

8. The compostable matter is the major compo­nent of MSW composition in India. This ranges from 24% to 58%, with an average of 35% by weight for Class-I cities.

9. The content of paper and paper board varies from 3% to 10%, by weight and average be­fore disposal.

10. Out of 48,134 MT/day of solid waste gener­ated, only 2786 MT/day receives treatment before disposal.

11. The major mode of disposal of solid waste is by land-dumping and composting. The dis­posal by land-dumping and composting in respect of Class-I cities works out to 94% and 5% respectively.

12. With concentration of industrial and commer­cial activities around the city nodes, rapid urbanisation attracted by large scale migration of rural population, the Industrial Develop­ment Areas created in and around the urban centres do not cater to the needs of basic civic amenities for the migratory population.

13. The migrated rural population has not been able to easily adopt to the social change and to urban living conditions. This has to a great ex­tent contributed to the deteriorating sanitary, conditions and solid waste generation problems.

14. The other aspect which contributed to the generation of solid waste is the economic growth in the urban pockets and the conse­quent increase in consumerism and package disposals.

15. The collection, transportation and disposal of loose garbage in bulk quantities by manual methods are unhygienic for the carriers.

16. The dumping areas, have become serious health hazards to the people living in the neigh­borhood. The ground water in the area is also liable for contamination.

17. Basic care and precautions are not being taken in handling and safe disposal of biomedical waste, which is being treated as domestic gar­bage in majority of the cases.

18. Enough care and attention are not being paid for the safe disposal of Industrial Hazardous wastes.

19. Local Governments are legally bound to pro­vide efficient and effective solid waste services. With increased population and economic ac­tivities and changing urban lifestyles, local Governments are unable to cope with the mounting solid wastes in cities.

20. As we witnessed after the plague scare at Surat in the year 1994, local communities and people themselves were involved in cleaning up the city. The awareness generated during the plague scare and the motivation of the people, however, could not be sustained for long.

21. In large cities, the composition of wastes is changing with rapid increase in Paper, Plastic, Metal and Hazardous materials components.

22. Many cities in India have turned to private contractors for transportation of garbage to disposal sites.

Class-II Towns:

1. As per 1991 census, the total population of 345 class-II towns is 2,36,45,614. The Uttar Pradesh state and Ganga river basin have the highest population of class-II towns.

2. Average population density for class-II towns works out to 3,695 persons/sq.km.

3. Out of 345 class-II towns, 113 towns have provided information on solid waste status. This worked out to 33% o of the total towns.

4. Municipal solid waste generated in 345 class- II towns works out to 3,401 MT/day. The projected solid waste generation for 1999 based on average growth of population and average MSW generation from each of the towns is 4217 MT/day.

5. About 30% of the total municipal solid waste generated is from Ganga river basin.

6. The Virar of Maharashtra state, which gener­ates the maximum quantity of solid waste, 43 MT/day and Puliyangudi of Tamil Nadu state generates least, 1 MT/day.

7. The average per capita contribution of solid waste for class-II towns works out to 0.152 kg/person/day. The per capita generation of solid waste ranges from 0.019 kg/day for Puliyangudi of Tamil Nadu state to 0.747 kg/ day for Virar of Maharashtra state.

8. The mode of collection is 78% by manual methods and 21% by trucks.

9. As per the information made available from the 113 municipalities, the solid waste collec­tion in all class-II towns is cent percent.

10. Out of 1,454 MT/day of solid waste gener­ated from 113 number of towns, only 46 MT/ day receives treatment before disposal.

11. The major mode of disposal of solid waste is by land-filling. The disposal by land-filling and composting in respect of class-II towns works out to 93% and 6%, respectively.

A project of Kolkata municipality waste gene­ration is given below:

There has been a significant increase in MSW (Municipal Solid Waste) generation in India in the last few decades. This is largely because of rapid population growth and economic development in the country. Solid waste management has become a major environmental issue in India.

The per capita of MSW generated daily in India ranges from about 100 g in small towns to 500 g in large towns. Although, there is no national level data for MSW generation, collection and disposal, and increase in solid waste generation, over the years, can be studied for a few urban centres, for ex­ample, the population of Mumbai grew from around 8.2 million in 1981 to 12.3 million in 1991, registering a growth of around 49%.

On the other hand, MSW generated in the city increased from 3 200 tonnes per day to 5355 tonnes per day in the same period registering a growth of around 67 % (CPCB 2000). This clearly indicates that the growth in MSW in our urban centres has outpaced the population growth in recent years.

This trend can be ascribed to our changing lifestyles, food habits, and change in living standards. MSW in cities is collected by respective municipalities and trans­ported to designated disposal sites, which are nor­mally low lying areas on the outskirts of the city.

The limited revenues earmarked for the munici­palities make them ill-equipped to provide for high costs involved in the collection, storage, treatment, and proper disposal of MSW’ As a result, a sub­stantial part of the MSW generated remains unattended and grows in the heaps at poorly main­tained collection centres.

The choice of a disposal site also is more a matter of what is available than what is suitable. The average collection efficiency for MSW in Indian cities is about 72.5% and around 70% of the cities lack adequate waste trans­port capacities (TERI 1998). The insanitary meth­ods adopted for disposal of solid wastes is, there­fore, a serious health concern.

The poorly main­tained landfill sites are prone to groundwater con­tamination because of leachate production. Open dumping of garbage facilitates the breeding for disease vectors such as flies, mosquitoes, cock­roaches, rats, and other pests (CPCB 2000).

The municipalities in India therefore face the challenge of reinforcing their available infrastructure for efficient MSW management and ensuring the sci­entific disposal of MSW by generating enough revenues either from the generators or by identi­fying activities that generate resources from waste management.

This paper discusses various future projections for estimating the growth of MSW and the impacts of such growth, and discusses pos­sible intervention(s) to mitigate such adverse im­pacts. The projections have been made under the BAU (Business As Usual) scenario for the year 2047 taking 1997 as the base year.

The Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000:

Central Government notified in exercise of the Powers conferred by Section 3, 6 and 25 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 with the ob­jective of regulating the management and handling of the Municipal Solid Wastes.

Applicability:

Apply to all municipal authorities responsible for collection, segregation, storage, transportation processing and disposal of municipal solid wastes.

A. Responsibility of Municipal Authority:

1. Every municipal authority shall, within the territorial area of the municipality, be responsible for the implementation of the provisions of these rules, and for any infrastructure de­velopment for collection, storage, segregation, transportation, processing and disposal of mu­nicipal solid wastes.

2. The municipal authority or an operator of a facility shall make an application in Form I, for grant of authorisauon for setting up waste processing and disposal facility including land­fills from the State Board or the Committee in order to comply with the implementation programme laid down in Schedule I.

3. The municipal authority shall comply with these rules as per the implementation sched­ule laid down in Schedule I.

4. The municipal authority shall furnish its an­nual report in Form II.

(a) To the Secretary in-charge of the Depart­ment of Urban Development of the con­cerned State or as the case may be of the Union Territory, in case of a metropoli­tan city; or

(b) To the District Magistrate or the Deputy Commissioner concerned in case of all other town and cities, with a copy to the State Board or the Committee on or be­fore the 30th day of June every year.

B. Management of Municipal Solid Wastes:

1. Any municipal solid waste generated in a city or a town, shall be managed and handled in accordance with the compliance criteria and the procedure laid down in Schedule II.

2. The waste processing and disposal facilities to be set up by the municipal authority on their own or through an operator of a facility shall meet the specifications and standards as speci­fied in Schedule III and Schedule IV.

Municipal Solid Wastes – Schedule I:

Municipal Solid Wastes – Schedule II:

Management of Municipal Solid Wastes:

Collection of Municipal Solid Wastes:

1. Littering of municipal solid waste shall be pro­hibited in cities, town and in urban areas noti­fied by the State Governments.

To prohibit littering and facilitate compliance, the follow­ing steps shall be taken by the Municipal Au­thority, namely:

(a) Organising house-to-house collection of municipal solid wastes through any of the methods, like community bin collection (central bin), house-to-house collection, collection on regular pre-informed tim­ings and scheduling by using bell ringing of musical vehicle (without exceeding permissible noise levels);

(b) Devising collection of waste from slums and squatter areas or localities including hotels, restaurants, office complexes and commercial areas;

(c) Wastes from slaughter houses, meat and fish markets, fruits and vegetable markets, which are biodegradable in nature shall be managed to make use of such wastes;

(d) Biomedical wastes and industrial wastes shall not be mixed with municipal solid wastes and such wastes shall follow the rules separately specified for the purpose;

(e) Collected waste from residential and other areas shall be transferred to community bin by hand carts or containerized carts or other small vehicles;

(f) Horticultural and construction or demo­lition wastes or debris shall be separately collected and disposed off following proper norms. Similarly, wastes generated at dairies shall be regulated in accordance with the State laws;

(g) Waste (garbage, dry leaves) shall not be burnt;

(h) Stray animals shall not be allowed to move around waste storage facilities or at any other place in the city or town and shall be managed in accordance with the State laws.

2. The Municipal authority shall notify waste collection schedule and the likely method to be adopted for public benefit in a city or town

3. It shall be the responsibility of generator of waste to avoid littering and ensure delivery of wastes in accordance with the collection and segregation system to be notified by the mu­nicipal authority as per para 1(2) of the Sched­ule.

Segregation of Municipal Solid Wastes:

In order to encourage the citizens, municipal au­thority shall organise awareness programmes for segregation of wastes and shall promote recycling or reuse of segregated materials. The municipal authority shall undertake phased programme to ensure community participation in waste segrega­tion. For this purpose, regular meetings at quar­terly intervals shall be arrange by the municipal authorities with representatives of local resident welfare associations and non-governmental organisations.

Storage of Municipal Solid Wastes:

Municipal authorities shall establish and maintain storage facilities in such a manner as they do not create unhygienic and insanitary conditions around it.

Following criteria shall be taken into account while establishing and maintaining storage facili­ties, namely:

1. Storage facilities shall be created and estab­lished by taking into account quantities of waste generation in a given area and the popu­lation densities. A storage facility shall be so place that it is accessible to users.

2. Storage facilities to be set up by municipal authorities or any other agency shall be so des­ignated that wastes stored are not exposed to open atmosphere and shall be aesthetically acceptable and user-friendly;

3. Storage facilities or ‘bins’ shall be ‘easy to op­erate’ design for handling, transfer and trans­portation of waste bins for storage of biode­gradable wastes shall be painted green, those for storage of recyclable wastes shall be painted white and those for storage of other wastes shall be painted black;

4. Manual handling of waste shall be prohibited. If unavoidable due to constraints, manual han­dling shall be carried out under proper pre­caution with due care for safety of workers.

Transportation of Municipal Solid Wastes:

Vehicles used for transportation of wastes shall be covered. Waste should not be visible to public, nor exposed to open environment prevention their scattering.

The following criteria shall be met, namely:

1. The storage facilities set up by municipal au­thorities shall be daily attended for clearing of wastes. The bins or containers wherever placed shall be cleaned before they start over­flowing;

2. Transportation vehicles shall be so designed that multiple handling of wastes, prior to fi­nal disposal, is avoided.

Processing of Municipal Solid Wastes:

Municipal authorities shall adopt suitable technol­ogy or combination of such technologies to make use of wastes so as to minimise burden on land fill.

Following criteria shall be adopted, namely:

1. The biodegradable wastes shall be processed by compositing vermicomposting, anaerobic digestion or any other appropriate biological processing for stabilisation of wastes. It shall be ensured that compost or any other end product shall comply with standards as speci­fied in Schedule IV;

2. Mixed waste containing recoverable resources shall follow the route of recycling. Incinera­tion with or without energy recovery includ­ing pelletisation can also be used for process­ing wastes in specific cases. Municipal author­ity or the operator of a facility wishing to use other state of the art technologies shall ap­proach the Central Pollution Control Board to get the standards laid down before apply­ing for grant of authorisation.

Disposal of Municipal Solid Wastes:

Land filling shall be restricted to non-biodegradable, inert waste and other waste that are not suit­able either for recycling or for biological process­ing. Land filling shall also be carried out for resi­dues of waste processing facilities as well as pre­processing rejects from waste processing facilities.

Land filling of mixed waste shall be avoided un­less the same is found unsuitable for waste pro­cessing. Under unavoidable circumstances or till installation or alternate facilities, land filling shall be done following proper norms. Landfill sites shall meet the specifications as given in Schedule II.

Municipal Solid Wastes – Schedule III:

Specification for Landfill Sites:

Site Selection:

1. In areas falling under the jurisdiction of ‘De­velopment Authorities’, it shall be the respon­sibility of such Development Authorities to identify the landfill sites and hand over the sites to the concerned municipal authority for development, operation and maintenance. Elsewhere, this responsibility shall lie with the concerned municipal authority.

2. Selection of land fill sites shall be based on examination of environmental issues. The Department of Urban Development of the State or the Union Territory shall coordinate with the concerned organisations for obtain­ing the necessary approvals and clearances.

3. The landfill site shall be planned and designed with proper documentation of a phased con­struction plan as well as a closure plan.

4. The landfill sites shall be selected to make use of nearby wastes processing facility. Other­wise, wastes processing facility shall be planned as an integral part of the landfill site.

5. The existing landfill sites continue to be used for more than five years shall be improved in accordance of the specifications given in this Schedule.

6. Biomedical wastes shall be disposed off in ac­cordance with the Biomedical Wastes (Man­agement and Handling) Rules, 1998 and haz­ardous wastes shall be managed in accordance with the Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling Rules, 1989), as amended from time to time.

7. The landfill site shall be large enough to last for 20-25 years.

8. The landfill she shall be away from habitation clusters, forest areas, water bodies, monuments, National Park, Wetlands and places of impor­tant cultural, historical or religious interest.

9. A buffer zone of no development shall be maintained around landfill site and shall be incorporated in the Town Planning Depart­ment’s land use plans.

10. Landfill site shall be away from airport includ­ing airbase. Necessary approval for airport or airbase authorities prior to the setting up of the landfill site shall be obtained in cases where the site is to be located with 20 km of an air­port or airbase.

Facilities at the Site:

11. Land fill site shall be fenced or hedged and provided with proper gate to monitor incom­ing vehicles or other modes of transportation.

12. The landfill site shall be well protected to pre­vent entry of unauthorized persons and stray animals.

13. Approach and other internal roads for free movement of vehicles and other machinery shall exist at the landfill site.

14. The land fill site shall have wastes inspection facility to monitor wastes brought in for land­fill, office facility for record keeping and shel­ter for keeping equipment and machinery in­cluding pollution monitoring equipment’s.

15. Provisions like weigh bridge to measure quan­tity of waste brought at landfill site, fire pro­tection equipment’s and other facilities as may be required shall be provided.

16. Utilities such as drinking water (preferably bathing facilities for workers) and lighting ar­rangements for easy landfill operations when carried out in night hours shall be provided.

17. Safety provisions including health inspections of workers at landfill site shall be periodically made.

Specification for Land Filling:

18. Waste subjected to land filling shall be com­pacted in thin layers using landfill compactors to achieve high density of the wastes. In high rainfall areas where heavy compactors cannot be used, alternative measures shall be adopted.

19. Wastes shall be covered immediately or at the end of each working day with minimum 10 cm of soil, inert debris or construction mate­rial till such time waste processing facilities for composting or recycling or energy recovery are set up as per Schedule I.

20. Prior to the commencement of monsoon sea­son, an intermediate cover of 40-65 cm thick­ness of soil shall be placed on the landfill with proper compaction and grading to prevent in­filtration during monsoon. Proper drainage berms shall be constructed to divert runoff away from the active cell of the landfill.

21. After completion of landfill, a final cover shall be designed to minimise infiltration and ero­sion.

The final cover shall meet the following specifications, namely:

(a) The final cover shall have a barrier soil layer comprising of 60 cms of clay or amended soil with permeability coefficient less that 1 x 10^-7 cm/sec.

(b) On top of the barrier soil layer, there shall be a drainage layer of 15 cm.

(c) On top of the drainage layer, there shall be a vegetable layer of 45 cm to support natural plant growth and to minimise ero­sion.

Pollution Prevention:

22. In order to prevent pollution problems from landfill operations, the following provisions shall be made, namely:

(a) Diversion of storm water drains to mini­mise leachate generation and prevent pol­lution of surface water and also for avoid­ing flooding and creation of marshy con­ditions;

(b) Construction of a non-permeable lining system at the base and walls of waste dis­posal area. For landfill receiving residues of waste processing facilities or mixed waste or waste having contamination of hazardous materials (such as aerosols, bleaches, polishes, batteries, waste oils, paint products and pesticides) minimum liner specifications shall be a composite barrier having 1.5 mm high density poly­ethylene (HDPE) geo-membrane, or equivalent, overlying 90 cm of soil (clay or amended soil) having permeability co­efficient not greater than 1 x 10^-7 cm/ sec. The highest level of water table shall be at least two meter below the base of clay or amended soil barrier layer;

(c) Provisions for management of leachates collection and treatment shall be made. The treatment leachates shall meet the standards specified in Schedule IV;

(d) Prevention of runoff from landfill area entering any stream, river, lake or pond.

Water Quality Monitoring:

23. Before establishing any land fill site, base line date of ground water quality in the area shall be collected and kept in record for future ref­erence. The ground water quality within 50 meters of the periphery of landfill site shall be periodically monitored to ensure that the ground water is not contaminated beyond ac­ceptable limit as decided by the Ground Wa­ter Board or the State Board or the Commit­tee.

Such monitoring shall be carried out to cover different seasons in a year that is, sum­mer, monsoon and post monsoon period.

24. Usage of ground water in and around landfill sites for any purpose (including drinking and irrigation) is to be considered after ensuring its quality.

The following specifications for drinking water quality shall apply for moni­toring purposes, namely:

Ambient Air Quality Monitoring:

25. Installation of landfill gas control system in­cluding gas collection system shall be made at landfill site to minimise odour generation, pre­vent off-site migration of gases and to pro­tect vegetation planted on the rehabilitated landfill surface.

26. The concentration of methane gas generated at landfill site shall not exceed 25 per cent of the lower explosive limit (LEL).

27. The landfill gas from the collection facility at a landfill site shall be utilised for either direct thermal applications or power generation, as per viability. Otherwise, landfill gas shall be burnt (flared) and shall not be allowed to di­rectly escape to the atmosphere or for illegal tapping. Passive venting shall be allowed if its utilisation or flaring is not possible.

28. Ambient air quality at the landfill site and at the vicinity shall be monitored to meet the fol­lowing specified standards, namely:

29. The ambient air quality monitoring shall be carried out by the concerned authority as per the following schedule, namely:

(a) Six times in a year for cities having popu­lation of more than fifty lakhs;

(b) Four times in a year for cities having popu­lation between ten and fifty lakhs;

(c) Two times in a year for town or cities hav­ing population between one and ten lakhs.

Plantation at Landfill Site:

30. A vegetative cover shall be provided over the complete site in accordance with the follow­ing specifications, namely:

(a) Selection of locally adopted non-edible perennial plants that are resistant to drought and extreme temperature shall be allowed to grow;

(b) The plants grown be such that their roots do not penetrate more than 30 cms. This condition shall apply till the landfill is stabilized;

(c) Selected plants shall have ability to thrive on low-nutrient soil with minimum nu­trient addition;

(d) Plantation to be made in sufficient den­sity to minimise soil erosion.

Closure of Landfill Site and Post-care:

31. The post closure care of landfill site shall be conducted for at least fifteen years and long term monitoring or care plan shall consist of the following, namely:

(a) Maintaining the integrity and effectiveness of final cover, making repairs and prevent­ing run-on and run-off from eroding or otherwise damaging the final cover;

(b) Monitoring leachate collection system in accordance with the requirement;

(c) Monitoring of ground water in accor­dance with requirements and maintaining ground water quality;

(d) Maintaining and operating the landfill gas collection system to meet the standards.

32. Use of closed landfill sites after fifteen years of post-closure monitoring can be considered for human settlement or otherwise only after ensuring that gaseous and leachate analysis comply with the specified standards.

Special Provisions for Hilly Areas:

33. Cities and towns located on hills shall have location-specific methods evolved for final dis­posal of solid wastes by the municipal author­ity with the approval of the concerned State Board or the Committee. The municipal au­thority shall set up processing facilities for utilisation of biodegradable organic wastes.

The inert and non-biodegradable waste shall be used for building roads or tilling-up of appropriate areas on hills. Because of con­straints in finding adequate land in hilly areas, wastes not suitable for road-laying or filling up shall be disposed of in specially designed landfills.

Schedule IV:

(See rule 8(3)) Standards for compost:

1. In order to ensure safe application of com­post, the following standards for production of compost may be ensured:

2. Standards for disposal of treated leachates.

As per specification of waste water discharge guideline.