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Over 80% of legacy waste remains unremediated in 15 states and Union territories: CSE report

'2024 State of India’s Environment in Figures' released by the Centre for Science and Environment documents the state of development, climate, extreme weather, GHG emissions, health, energy, air and waste, among others. 


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Waste Management
 
May 31 2024
 
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The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Down To Earth magazine have released the '2024 State of India’s Environment in Figures' report to mark World Environment Day (June 5). It is a unique collation of statistics which provides a snapshot of the state of affairs in the country using numbers. What it also provides is an agenda for development, based on hard facts and data, to the new-old government that will emerge to take hold of the reins of the country, said Sunita Narain, director general of CSE,  speaking at a webinar in New Delhi. 

Narain added: “The numbers revealed by this report do paint a grim picture. But therein hides an opportunity. In painting its picture, the report outlines the priorities for the new regime – the sectors where we must craft our development plans, keeping in mind the climate crisis that we face today.” 

SOE in Figures, as the report is referred to, reveals some alarming truths indeed. Take the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With a score of a little over 63 out of 100, India ranks a dismal 112th among 166 nations with respect to its preparedness to meet the Goals. 

The report documents the state of development, climate, extreme weather, GHG emissions, health, energy, air and waste, among others. 

Following are some of the highlights from the report on the State of Waste in India: 

According to the report, India generates about 145,351.73 tonnes of solid waste per day. Out of this, 79% (approximately 114,588.73 tonnes) is processed daily. Among the positive trends, the report finds that India has achieved 100% collection of municipal solid waste. Despite high collection rates, the effective processing and segregation at the source still pose significant challenges in many areas. Segregation at source happens at 89% of the wards, and waste processing stands at 79% of the total waste generated. 

Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 has given a clear mandate to all Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in India to complete remediation of their existing dumpsites by 2023 (for cities with less than 1 million population) and by 2024 (for cities with more than 1 million population) in compliance with environmentally sustainable Status of primary dumpsites methods. 

Challenges from legacy waste 

Every day, more than 30,000 tonnes, constituting 21% of total municipal solid waste, remains unprocessed in India, eventually ending in landfills. The number of dumpsites with legacy waste surged in at least 16 states/UTs from 2023 to 2024, as per the report. “Only 17% of India's legacy waste has been dealt with, and plans are underway to address another 26%. No action has been taken on the remaining 56%.” Several states and UTs, including West Bengal, Mizoram, and Ladakh, process less than half of the municipal solid waste they generate. 

Meanwhile, the redressal rate of CPCB's mobile application to report illegal use of plastics has dropped to 19% in May 2024, from 25% in March 2023.  

In July 2022, when India banned single-use plastics, the Central Pollution Control Board rolled out a mobile application "SUP-CPCB" that allows citizens to complain and report illegal plastic sale and use. However, as time has passed, the Central agency's redressal rate of these complaints has slowed down and has dropped to 19%. Since the ban on single-use plastics in 2022, significant issues persist with the enforcement and management of plastic waste.