Centre to provide 'one-time' financial support for waste recycling startups

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav said that his ministry has submitted guidelines for one-time financial aid to waste recycling start-ups in India, where municipal solid waste management is a big concern

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Saturday that the Centre will give one-time financial assistance to startups which are focused on waste recycling. The initiative will also prioritise energy and water conservation while implementing a ban on single-use plastics.

During the cleanliness drive event at Juhu beach in Mumbai, Yadav said that his ministry has already submitted the guidelines for the proposal.

“The central government will support start-ups for recycling. My ministry has given guidelines for one-time financial support to such start-ups,” he said. “We know how to use nature’s products, but forget to recycle them and litter on beaches and roads. Our focus will be on saving energy, water, banning single-use plastic and stopping wastage of food, promoting healthy lifestyle and e-waste disposal,” Yadav said at an event meant to celebrate the International Coastal Clean-up Day.

How huge is India’s waste problem?

According to Bloomberg, India produces only a third of the daily waste per capita compared to European countries but the problems surrounding its disposal is a big concern for the most populous nation. Data estimates that Indian cities generate about 42 million tons of solid waste annually. For context, this is equivalent to the weight of 127 Empire State Buildings.

The Centre estimates that India has the potential to generate up to 5 gigawatts of waste-to-energy capacity. This is about 30 times compared to the current installed capacity of 168 megawatts. One of the key challenges in this area is waste segregation, as India currently lacks an effective comprehensive system for it. Most waste is sorted manually and often disposed of haphazardly before reaching incinerators.

Experts are of the view that without solving the segregation issue, the problem is posed to get worse. Municipal solid waste is set to grow 7 per cent to 8 per cent year to year, Anvesha Thakker, global co-lead for climate change and decarbonisation with KPMG in India, told Bloomberg.