Evaluating the Efficacy and Impact of Waste-to-Energy Technologies in India

Rao Inderjit Singh who was the minister of state for urban development in 2016, had proclaimed that “by 2050, 60% population of the country will live in cities as India’s rate of urbanization is dramatic”. This was further followed by Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs and Petroleum & Natural Gas stating that more than 50 percent of India’s population would live in urban cities by 2050 (in accordance to a report by the United Nations).  Even the Economic Survey Report 2023-2024 had predicted that more than 40 percent of India’s population would be living in urban areas by 2030. 

These statistics are a reflection of the development aspirations of India. However there is another angle to these numbers, which is the requirement of adequate infrastructure to support such a rapidly growing population in urban areas. This is a facet which is recognized by the government as well, and they have increased the capital expenditure for urban infrastructure at a rate of 38.8 percent. 

Naturally, this also means that urban waste generation will increase exponentially in terms of its volume and toxicity, which is a matter of concern. According to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the municipal solid waste generated in India will increase to 165 million tonnes by 2031 and 436 million tonnes by 2050. If not managed properly, it will pollute the air, soil, and water,  and lead to a range of healthcare issues, which need to be duly addressed. Hence, urban governments have initiated a range of initiatives to survive this ever-increasing issue. One of the prominent solution among these initiatives is setting up waste-to-energy plants across the key municipalities. 

Waste to Energy Paradigm: 

Waste-to-energy (WtE) is a waste management process in which municipal solid waste is burnt to generate electricity. There are multiple approaches to this, like Thermochemical— where the biomass can be heated to form fuels of higher heating value, which can be later used in  gas engines or burnt directly to produce energy. It has several sub-categories like gasification, incineration and pyrolysis which are prominently used in India. Then there is bio-methanation, wherein biomass is anaerobically digested and converted to biogas. In these processes, the mounting waste problem is resolved while simultaneously adding energy back into urban power grids. 

However, global experience with waste incinerators has shown the technology to be extremely toxic for surrounding communities and the environment. Not only do they release emissions harmful to the climate, but also, reusables and recyclables are combusted in the process. Their irreversible losses could be regained and contribute to lowering the virgin plastic and paper production. 

While promising reduced costs and more benefits to society, WtEs have proven to be more expensive than decentralized waste management systems and fossil fuel-based power plants without producing enough energy to compensate for its negative consequences. While these risks are at stake for the environment and India's pledges concerning climate change, the Indian government is promoting the installation of WtE plants all over the country. In 2017, the National Thermal Power Corporation invited national and international players to set up 100 WtE plants throughout the country. This was further followed by the Niti Aayog’s plans under the Swachh Bharat Mission to construct WtE plants of 330 megawatts and 511 megawatts during 2017–18 and 2018–19.  As a result, India currently has 249 WtE plants. 

A Comparative Analysis of the Delhi & Kerala Model: 

Out of the aforementioned installations, four are already operational in Delhi-NCR in Ghazipur, Okhla-Timarpur, Tehkhand and Narela-Bavana. The Okhla waste-to-energy plant is the oldest among the three, and it has also been the most controversial. The plant was set up in 2012  by the Jindal Ecopolis and can burn 2000 tonnes of garbage. 

However the residents of the nearby areas of Sukhdev Vihar, Jasola Vihar, and Ishwar Nagar have been fighting against this plant since 2009. They say that burning unsegregated waste emits harmful toxins, such as dioxins, furans, and heavy metals. In fact it has been proven that waste incineration emissions lead to respiratory ailments, skin diseases, and even chronic carcinogenic impacts. 

The said matter was eventually transferred by the Delhi High Court to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2013 and in the year 2017 the principal bench of the NGT again passed a judgement favouring the plant. Despite repeated grievances and a ?25 lakh fine by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2017, the plant continues to remain operational. The irony is that far from weaning itself from waste dependency, Okhla is still promoting a linear waste economy—waste is collected, incinerated, and deposited in landfills in the form of hazardous fly ash.

Simultaneously, Kerala has pursued a completely different approach—one that does not depend on massive incinerators but on a decentralized approach characterized by people's participation and sustainable strategies. Kerala has pursued a decentralized system of waste management in areas like Trivandrum and Alapuzzha , wherein the onus is transferred to communities at the grassroots level. Rather than incinerating trash, Kerala practices segregation, composting, and recycling and ensures treatment of waste at the point of origin and not piled high in giant landfills. The core of this system is the Haritha Karma Sena in Trivandrum, which is a women-led workforce under Kudumbashree that carries out door-to-door waste collection, segregation, and recycling operations. Similarly Alapuzzha has a system called the "Nirmala Bhavanam Nirmala Nagaram" which focuses on sustainable disposal of waste. 

In contrast to Okhla, where waste is considered a post-consumer issue, Kerala's system focuses on behavioral change. Citizens are engaged in waste management, and households are made to sort waste into biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste. Rather than sending waste to incinerators, the state utilizes Material Collection Facilities (MCFs) and Resource Recovery Facilities (RRFs) to process and recycle waste. Thumboormuzhi Aerobic Compost Bins compost organic waste, whereas non-biodegradable waste is taken to plastic-shredding units and recycling centers.

Conclusion: 

The centralized incineration model of Okhla is sold as a high-technology fix but is associated with significant environmental costs, economic inefficiencies, and health hazards. Kerala's decentralized model, in contrast, is low-cost, people-friendly, and environmentally friendly. It has been able to win the confidence of the people, with over 91% of Gram Panchayats having operational Material Collection Facilities. 

India is at a crossroads in its waste management odyssey. With urban populations expanding, there is a hike in trash production as well. Delhi and Mumbai can no longer continue to use huge incineration plants that only cause more harm than good. They should instead turn to Kerala's decentralized, community-based model, which presents a reproducible and sustainable model for waste management.