Recyclable garbage may help generate Rs 30,000 crore a year: Government

NEW DELHI: Highlighting how a large share of municipal waste can be prevented from getting dumped at landfills by recycling them, a report prepared by the housing and urban development ministry has recommended a complete ban on the disposal of recyclables at such sites. It has also recommended state pollution control boards and urban development and industry departments introduce a tax for the dumping of all municipal waste in landfills

The report comes at a time when cities are struggling to get rid of mountains of municipal wastes, including the three such big legacy dumpsites in Delhi. Cities are also finding it difficult to find new landfill sites. 

The report titled 'Circular Economy in Municipal Solid and Liquid Waste' said: "Disposing of recyclables in landfills/dumpsites not only leads to loss of valued resources but also causes environmental pollution." It has also recommended that the government reduce the GST and other taxes on products made from recycled materials to 5% to encourage the recycling of waste.

The report prepared by experts from the IITs reputed research institutes, and government entities gain importance as a large share of untreated and unprocessed municipal wastes reach dump yards or get into water bodies and pose a major crisis amid a spurt in urbanization with little planning to tackle such challenges.

It has been estimated that proper treatment of municipal solid, wet, and construction wastes can generate nearly Rs 30,000 crore revenue per annum and create employment opportunities for more than one crore people by 2025. Currently, India generates approximately 1.4 lakh tonnes of solid waste daily and 35% of this is dry waste. A major share of dry waste is plastic. The report says that approximately 26,000 tonnes of plastic waste is generated daily and out of these only 15,600 tonnes are recycled. Around 9,400 tonnes are left uncollected and these go to the landfills or water bodies.

The report has estimated that material recycling facilities can help improve recovery from the current Rs 5,187 crore per annum from dry municipal waste to Rs 17,023 crore by 2025.