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  • Waste: Really?
    No ado about much. A factfile on Waste from Toxics Link.
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    May 2002:

    Courtesy Environment Support Group, Bangalore Waste or Resource? Facts at a glance

  • About 0.1 million tonnes of municipal solid waste is generated in India every day. That is approximately 36.5 million tonnes annually.

  • Per capita waste generation in major Indian cities ranges from 0.2 Kg to 0.6 Kg.

  • Difference in per capita waste generation between lower and higher income groups range between 180 to 800 gm per day.

  • The urban local bodies spend approximately Rs.500 to Rs.1500 per tonne on solid waste for collection, transportation, treatment and disposal. About 60-70% of this amount is spent on collection, 20-30% on transportation and less than 5% on final disposal.

  • Calorific value of Indian solid waste is between 600 and 800 Kcal/Kg and the density of waste is between 330 and 560 Kg/m3.

  • Waste collection efficiency in Indian cities ranges from 50% to 90%.

  • Out of the total municipal waste collected, on an average 94% is dumped on land and 5% is composted.

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  • Between 2000 and 2025 the waste composition of Indian garbage will undergo the following changes:

    • Organic Waste will go up from 40 percent to 60 percent
    • Plastic will rise from 4% to 6%
    • Metal will escalate from 1% to 4%
    • Glass will increase from 2% to 3%
    • Paper will climb from 5% to 15%
    • Others (ash, sand, grit) will decrease from 47% to 12%
    Toxics Link
    May 2002

    References:

    • Status of Municipal Solid Waste: Generation Collection Treatment and Disposal in Class I cities, CPCB April 2000.
    • Manual on Municipal Solid Waste Management (first edition). Prepared by The Expert Committee constituted by the Ministry of Urban Development, The Government of India. January 2000.
    • Urban Waste: Status, trends and interventions. Ravi Agarwal, Srishti, January 2001.
    • Personal Communication with Dr AK Tripathy, Ministry of Non-conventional Sources.
    This factfile on waste is made available on India Together by arrangement with Toxics Link, New Delhi.