If Zero Waste advocates of Alliance for Waste Managment (AWM) does not raise its voice in unison at a time when Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests, Namo Narain Meena seeks industry’s cooperation for waste-to-energy technologies and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) is attempting to involve the private sector in a big way in municipal waste management through dubious technological interventions, the sane waste management practices which AWM campaigns for would get distorted beyond repair with adverse consequences.

CPCB is trying to evolve a consensus on inter-state movement of industrial hazardous wastes. Standards for common incinerator facility and industrial waste management would be finalised shortly. The CPCB is attempting to involve the private sector in a big way in municipal waste management, the Government had decided to move away form prescribing technical specifications for land fills and would now focus only on enforcement of standards. Also working group has been constituted to provide a guidance document for private sector involvement in waste management.These facts about which we all had an inkling were revealed on 22nd March, 2005 at FICCI Environment Conclave in Delhi.

While a serious threat to environment has arisen due to Technology Information Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) of the Ministry of Science and Technology, developing a technology to convert waste into a source of fuel, President of India and the above mentioned ministries are paying lip service to the concept of Integrated Zero Waste Management approach. As we all know generation of hugely costly electricity from waste based on burn technology emits very toxic emissions.

The President in his speech at the presentation of Nirmal Gram Puraskar Awards in New Delhi referred to an entrepreneur in Andhra Pradesh which has adopted the TIFAC technology established independent plant in Hyderabad generating over 6 mega watts of electricity, which is being supplied to the state grid. The place where SELCO company's waste processing and energy generating plants are located in Gandumguda village and Yellikata village respectively has been visited for a Fact Finding. It emerged from the Fact Finding visit that the plant is not in Hyderabad, it is in Peerancheri Panchayat of Ranga Reddy District.

SELCO's plant and Hyderabad Municipal Corporation represents a classic case of Hyderabad's Not IN MY BACK YARD (NIMBY) approach of dumping waste in villages which are suffering from the pollutants from the waste disposal facility. The same NIMBY model is being pushed by the President, Ministries of Science and Technology, Non-conventional Energy Sources, Environment and Municipal Corporations of Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and others.

All this is happening despite the fact that President A P J Abdul Kalam is aware of the Integrated Zero Waste Management. In his speech he had referred to a total sanitation programme at Gandhi Nagar Town panchayat in Vellore district where a village having 2,400 families generates garbage of over 48 tonnes per year. This garbage is converted into manure and recyclable waste generating over Rs 3 lakh in revenue. All the 2,400 families in the village are able to have a clean green village just by paying around Rs 10 per month per family. The scheme provides employment to members of the panchayat.

A comprehensive national environment policy containing specific action plans for involving industry, voluntary organisations and the community is on the cards. The Ministry of Environment and Forests is ready with the draft policy, which will be put up for Cabinet clearance shortly.

This was stated by Dr. Prodipto Ghosh, Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests while addressing the two-day FICCI Environment Conclave on Sustainable Waste Management: Public Private Partnerships & Opportunities for Industry in the capital on 22nd March.

Dr. Ghosh said, the new policy structure will fully embody the concepts of the three R’s – Recover, Reuse, Recycle – and set out the broad parameters for waste minimisation and utilisation by industry and municipalities. The key initiatives of the environment policy would be partnerships between the Government and the private sector, the community and voluntary organisations.

Namo Narain Meena, pointed out that unsustainable patterns of construction and consumption were increasing the quantities and varieties of environmental polluting waste and advised industry to adopt programmes that target overall waste reduction for ensuring sustainability as "waste management often made good economic sense". The Minister said, there was need to develop and implement strategies for clean up of pre-existing toxic and hazardous waste dumps, in particular in industrial areas and reclamation of such land for future sustainable use.