Solid Waste Management

Urbanization, economic prosperity, and population growth have led to a sharp increase in consumption and waste generation.

Rethinking Solid Waste Management in India

India’s material consumption has increased six-fold between 1970 and 2015 and is expected to double again by 2030. With rapid urban growth and lifestyle changes, the country is facing a mounting waste crisis. Managing this increasing volume of waste poses operational and financial challenges for urban and rural areas alike.

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) contains about 45% food waste and other biodegradables, generating an estimated 75,000 tons of wet waste per day. While the percentage of wet waste processed improved from 18% in 2014 to 68% in 2021, growing urbanization means these numbers continue to rise. Composting, bio-methanisation, and waste-to-energy interventions are being promoted to address this surge.

Dry waste makes up about 35% of the total waste stream, with plastic being a major concern. India produces 2,600 tons of plastic waste daily—a figure expected to triple in the coming years—positioning the country among the top contributors to marine litter globally.

Effective solid waste management begins with source segregation and ends with scientific disposal. Resource recovery through composting, recycling, and reuse is essential. Whatever remains must be sent to engineered landfills. In the past, unsegregated waste led to massive dumpsites and leachate problems. Today, legacy waste and its environmental impact are being actively addressed.

Transportation and collection represent the largest expenditure in SWM. Meanwhile, plastic waste contaminates soil and water, posing risks to food security and public health. Non-biodegradable waste clogs drains, pollutes land, and threatens aquatic life.

CDD India’s Approach to Solid Waste Management

At CDD India, we believe that solid waste management is not merely a technical challenge—it is a social one. Our work across more than 50 cities and with over 20,000 individuals shows that behavior change and community engagement are critical.

Our key focus areas include:

  • City sanitation planning
  • Capacity building and public awareness
  • Decentralized wet waste management using composting and other nature-based solutions
  • Centralized dry waste aggregation and recovery

While high-tech systems such as waste-to-energy plants have often failed to meet expectations, decentralized and community-led models have proven effective in the tropical, developing world context. Achieving Zero Waste requires sustained segregation at source and strong citizen participation.

Why it Matters ?

Improper waste management leads to:

    • Mosquito and insect breeding in stagnant water
    • Odour and vermin nuisances
    • Increased disease risk for communities and workers
    • Groundwater and surface water contamination
    • Greenhouse gas emissions from unmanaged dumpsites
Our Interventions Include :

 

  • Designing local plans for waste bin placement, segregation, and collection
  • Building decentralized and centralized treatment infrastructure
  • Developing engineered landfill sites for safe final disposal
  • Establishing monitoring systems across the SWM value chain

CDD India continues to work toward integrated, scalable solutions that balance environmental goals with community well-being and urban resilience.