Industrial waste circularity is the way forward for waste & pollution management, decarbonisation
Till a decade ago, the Indian as well as global economies were largely linear in nature. With the introduction of the term 'circular economy' in the global dictionary, focus has been shifting towards reusing and recycling of the waste as alternate resource in different ways.
The concept is based on the principle that ‘waste is not only waste but a resource’ and is a major focus area worldwide. The circularity gap report, however, estimated that only 7.2 per cent of the global economy is circular.
In India, it has picked up pace only recently. The central government constituted the Indian Resources Panel (IRP) in 2015 as a step to address India’s resource security in a strategic perspective. IRP is an advisory body under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
India's annual material consumption is expected to grow to 14.2 billion tonnes by 2030 compared to seven billion tonnes in 2015. With the current recycling of goods standing at a mere 20 per cent, there is a huge potential for the Indian economy to transform into a circular one.
In September 2022, the Circular Economy Cell (CE Cell) was constituted within the government think-tank NITI Aayog as a dedicated unit to work in the area of circular economy.
NITI Aayog has identified 11 focus areas in waste management to expedite India’s transition from a linear to a circular economy. The focus areas include scrap metal (ferrous and non-ferrous), gypsum, toxic and hazardous industrial waste, solar panel, used oil waste, among others. There has been some progress towards fly ash and slag utilisation, which shows in the form of the Policy Framework on Utilization of Fly Ash and Slag, 2018–19.
However, much more needs to be done for a more formalised transition to the circular economy regime in India. As the country becomes more populated and urbanised, practicing circularity is the need of the hour to counter the international commitments and environmental challenges.
Why industrial waste circularity?
Industry holds a prominent position in the Indian economy, accounting for about 31 per cent of GDP on average. The industrial sector also plays a crucial role in the overall economic growth of a country. It contributes to increased production, fixed investment, exports, employment and capacity utilisation.
Industrial development is highlighted as strategically important for the overall economic development of a country. At the same time, industries are one of the major consumers of the natural resources, generates a significant quantity of different types of waste, including hazardous as well as non-hazardous and are a source of pollution and CO2 emissions.
In a developing economy like India, industries have a major role to play in the country’s development and also in attaining the its Net Zero targets.
India is the third-highest emitter of greenhouse gases, and accounts for 9.2 per cent of total world emissions. In this regard, industries should concentrate on reducing the waste they add to the natural environment and instead look for the potential options for bringing the waste into the circular stream.
The fact that most natural resources are limited is in itself a good reason for the country to urgently switch to circularity of waste in industries.
Even as companies prepare strategies to become Net Zero, they should focus on bringing the aspect of circularity in its operations to achieve decarbonisation targets.
At the same time, circularity will also reduce the issues and concerns of industries in terms of waste management and its disposal.
There have been instances of environmental accidents and impact on inhabitant flora and fauna due to mismanagement and mishandling of such waste. By shifting towards circularity of industrial waste, these disposed materials will be better managed and utilised in applications of potential.
There are a number of media clippings, court cases and National Green Tribunal orders passed against mismanagement of unutilised industrial waste that have impacted the environment in one way or the other. Some instances:
NGT case against Jindal Steel Works Ltd (now JSW Steel Ltd) on slag disposal
NGT cases on thermal power plants not disposing of fly ash properly
Case regarding red mud pond wall collapse at Hindalco site in Muri
NGT order on disposal of industrial waste by a sugar unit in village Khatauli, Muzaffarnagar district, Uttar Pradesh
NGT order regarding air pollution due to crop burning, West Bengal
2021 NGT order regarding waste dumped at Bhalswa, Ghazipur and Okhla dumpsites in Delhi
Case concerning dumping of marble and granite slurry in the stormwater drain of Mohi village, Rajasmand district
The benefits of industrial waste circularity are: Resource efficiency, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, better management of non-hazardous and hazardous industrial waste, increased energy efficiency and reduced cost economics (case-to-case).
But the application of the concept is not without challenges. There is a lack of regulatory push to promote industrial waste circularity, for instance. Moreover, attaining circularity requires the involvement of a large number of stakeholders in the supply chain.
Then, there is the lack of pilot interventions to exhibit the model of waste circularity. Incentives are needed for the industries practicing circularity.
Delhi-based non-proft, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), in its upcoming report on Good practices in Industrial waste circularity: A compendium, will be highlighting the good case studies on industrial waste circularity in the country and bring forth the need to upscale these initiatives and assess the full potential of industrial waste circularity in India.
“Industrial waste circularity is going to solve various environmental problems and issues of the country, including better management of waste, reduced air and land pollution. It will also be helpful in conserving natural resources of the country and achieving Net Zero targets by reducing overall carbon emissions from the manufacturing sector,” Nivit Kumar Yadav, programme director, industrial pollution unit, CSE.
The organisation will bring different stakeholders on the same platform and deduce the policy-level interventions required with respect to different industrial wastes generated from different sectors, including municipal solid waste (MSW) used in industries, Yadav noted. The think-tank will also quantify the different industrial wastes expected to be generated and reused in India by 2030, he added.