Urban Waste Management: The New Challenge

With rapid urbanisation, the India is encountering a massive waste management challenge. It is estimated that more than 90% of waste in India is dumped at yards within or outside the city haphazardly. Experts believe that India needs to ramp up its system of waste disposal and management, which emphasizes the need to understand how competing possibilities for socio-technical and social-ecological system change evolve, interact and shape development trajectories. This leads to a host of well-documented environmental and public health impacts and increasing pressure on municipal governments to implement solutions. 

For thinkers, CEOs and policy makers engaged on Urban Waste management; they ought to understand the methods and the waste management pathways currently deployed. It also sought to facilitate debate on the potential for alternative waste management pathways, which may better address combined environmental and social concerns. We must critically examine that waste is not only an environmental policy issue but also touches issues of public health. The dominant narrative on medical waste management in view of Covid 19 pandemic appears to impact certain health risks protected and recognized; whilst others are made invisible. The discussion aims to make the audience aware of the management of the biomedical waste and the opportunities to develop better systems for biomedical waste management. 

The discussion

The think tank group globally need to discuss the sustainable ways in dealing with urban waste. At the same time must reflect on various processes and their outcomes for lessons on the establishment of sustainable urban waste management trajectories. This in turn aims to address environmental and health challenges, whilst addressing the social concerns. The incumbents need to understand the drawbacks of the existing waste management processes and the necessary steps to be drawn for improving the waste management system. There must be a dialogue to reflect upon the management of the biomedical waste too. The researchers and entrepreneurs must be able to identify drawbacks and opportunities, garner resources and initiate for a plausible remedy. 

What needs to be explored!

1. What processes are involved for waste management in developing countries?
2. How does India draw form the best practices by nations successfully executing on the subject?
3. What alternative waste management scenarios, institutional and regulatory arrangements, as well as forms of citizen action, are emergent?
4. How has the Covid-19 pandemic impacted the perspective towards the medical waste management?
5. As for entrepreneurs, what are the various entrepreneurial opportunities in Waste Management?

These are few un-answered questions that the thin tank group must be engaged continuously and evolve with hybrid responses. There could be best practices globally, in the neighbourhood and even the next door. It needs to be explored seriously with an intent to have a cleaner and sustainable surrounding. Have you started thinking on this? 

What think tank group thinks- Their narrative

Plastic Waste management seems to be a big problem. It is difficult to quantify the efforts undertaken by the government in mitigating the problem. They pitch on what alternative waste management scenarios, institutional and regulatory arrangements, as well as the forms of citizen action, are emerging? How many of us are aware? There is an urgent need to sensitise. Off lately, there is a heated debate on the entry of electric cars.  Environmentalists are of the proposition if electric cars are greener, given the condition that at present, they require Li Ion battery? These are several queries encountered and had no response yet required a deeper thinking.

Healthcare wastes are the second most hazardous wastes after the radioactive wastes. A large amount of bio-waste has been generated during the vaccination, including disposal of large number of wastes such as plastic syringes, needles etc. This is a big challenge in the field of urban waste management system. South Asian countries like India should focus on strengthening their waste disposal systems, considering the status. The Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Management should be executed and if not planning should be in advanced stages.  

Has anyone thought about the unsegregated waste disposal? Around 70% of the ground water pollution is due to the dumping of drugs and antibiotics. This Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the waste management problem potentially increasing infected wastes. There is a critical need to respond to urban wastes challenges like Biomedical wastes (BMW), Plastic wastes, etc.  

At the same time there is rise in industrial and the mining wastes plunging. There is an urgent need for turning plastic waste to useful products such as mixing with coal tar to lay roads, conversion of plastic waste to gasoline etc. For thinkers and innovators, there is a need for creative and economical ways for converting waste into wealth. How? 

The population needs to be sensitized towards this, after all it’s all about public health. Rise citizens. It is all about your health. Dear CEOs, this is an entrepreneurial opportunity for you, if you have started thinking, if not please do so!.

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