Fostering behaviour change in solid waste management: Here are some essential prerequisites for cities
Solid waste management is a shared responsibility — waste generators are just as responsible as waste handlers. The Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 and the municipal bye-laws on solid waste management, aligned with these rules, clearly define the roles and responsibilities of both waste generators and waste managers.
It is the duty of urban local bodies (ULBs) to collect, transport, process and dispose of residual waste. But, at the same time, citizens are equally responsible for reducing waste generation, adopting lifestyles focused on waste reduction and product reuse, segregating waste at the source and avoiding indiscriminate waste disposal through burying, burning or dumping. Every waste generator should also pay the user charges for waste management services as stipulated by the local government concerned.
Door-to-door waste collection in India stands at 97 per cent, with segregation levels at 90 per cent, according to the SBM 2.0 Urban dashboard. However, a World Bank study indicated that around 77 per cent of mixed waste still ends up in landfills in India. The CPCB report for 2020-2021 also highlighted that 31 per cent of waste remains unaccounted for, dumped in various pockets of the city and finding its way to our oceans through land-to-sea pathways.
Cities allocate 60 per cent to 70 per cent of their solid waste management budgets to collection and transportation, yet much of the waste continues to be dumped. The processing rate remains sluggish and large waste-to-energy plants are failing due to poor feedstock quality, as waste is not properly segregated at source.
Mixed waste in landfills not only emits greenhouse gases and pollutes groundwater, soil and air, but also diminishes the calorific value of dry, combustible waste and reduces the worth of recyclable materials.
Securing segregation of waste at the source would enable the implementation of decentralised waste management solutions, such as home composting, which offers numerous benefits to urban local bodies. This measure can significantly reduce the economic burden associated with waste collection and transportation by localising solutions.
It also enhances processing efficiency and diverts waste from landfills, cuting carbon emissions. Additionally, segregating waste streams supports livelihoods for informal waste pickers by providing them with valuable materials to sell.
Furthermore, processing segregated wet waste into compost enhances soil health and supports local plantations, while bio-methanation can generate biogas or bio-compressed natural gas for energy, potentially creating revenue streams for ULBs through surplus energy and recyclable waste, addressing both environmental challenges and fostering economic sustainability and community resilience.
But waste segregation is primarily a human task wherever it is generated. Without public awareness and active participation, little can be achieved. While machines can assist, they are expensive, difficult to maintain and cannot match the effectiveness of human involvement.
Cities like Pune, Indore, Chandigarh and Thiruvananthapuram have repeatedly demonstrated that community participation and cooperation are crucial for successful source segregation. Only a collective effort can drive meaningful change. Engaging communities in waste management fosters a sense of responsibility and ownership, while shared accountability can significantly contribute to reducing waste.
In many societies, waste is perceived as a diminishing element. Individuals engaged in waste collection or handling, whether formally or informally, are often stigmatised. As a result, many waste generators are reluctant to handle waste themselves, claiming it is ‘not their task’. This perception shapes attitudes towards waste and creates indifference to the fate of the waste we generate.
Thus, it remains the responsibility of cities to manage waste after generation and raise public awareness on the importance of source segregation. Simultaneously, cities must provide regular, on-time waste collection services and establish systems for collecting waste in a segregated manner if they expect citizens to do the same.
There is no magic formula for achieving behaviour change towards effective source segregation and waste reduction. It will not happen overnight. Instead, a number of prerequisites must work together in a sustained and consistent manner.
Legal mandates: Every city must make source segregation mandatory through its by-laws.
Mapping of sources and gap assessment: This involves ward- and zone-wise mapping of households, commercial establishments and institutions, along with the quantity of waste they generate.
Waste quantification and characterisation: Accurate waste quantification and characterisation are essential for informed decisions on fleet size, vehicle deployment, route planning, human resource needs and the design of effective information, education and communication (IEC) campaigns for waste management.
Creating an IEC/behaviour change communication (BCC) calendar: Once the basic mapping is done, an IEC calendar and strategies must be prepared to reach every household.
Enforcement: Any contravention of the legal mandates on source segregation should be strictly handled and penalised.
Incentivisation: People who abide with the rules and segregate waste should be rewarded periodically, with specific strategies in place. Home composting should be encouraged with incentives such as rebates on property tax or water bills or the waiving of waste collection charges.
Deploying expertise: Hiring an expert or agency is crucial to spreading awareness effectively.
Guaranteed on-time door-to-door collection and consistency: To build community trust and sustain behavioural change, cities must provide reliable, on-time waste collection services using compartmentalised fleets capable of collecting segregated waste.
Processing facilities: Comprehensive wet and dry waste processing facilities are essential for demonstrating to citizens that their segregated waste is being properly processed, not just dumped. This reinforces trust and supports long-term behaviour change.
Recognition and integration of informal waste workers: Waste pickers play a vital role in dry waste recycling and source segregation. Cities must recognise their contributions, provide social security and economic stability and grant them access to waste. Integrating them into the solid waste management value chain through a legitimate framework is essential for their support and inclusion.
Transparency and trust: Cities should use diverse communication strategies, including mass media and their websites, to provide transparent information on waste generation, segregation, processing, citizen contributions, user charge utilisation and issued penalties. Transparency builds public trust and boosts citizen participation.
Forming a dedicated cell for IEC/BCC: A dedicated ULB team should manage need assessments, IEC/BCC campaigns and ensure compliance with segregation rules. Even if external experts are engaged to run campaigns, monitoring, enforcement and incentives should be handled by the ULB. The team should also focus on report generation, data analysis, evaluation and corrective actions.
Capacity building: All relevant stakeholders involved in the city’s waste management system should be adequately trained to manage waste and ensure source segregation.
Monitoring: A regular, concurrent monitoring system should be in place to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of IEC initiatives taken up. A well-equipped reporting system can enable timely, needs-based actions to address any identified gaps.
Civil society and community-based organisations (CBO) play a crucial role in decentralised solid waste management by serving as community educators, consultants and sometimes service providers. They can drive grassroots efforts, engaging households and institutions alike.
Non-governmental organisations (NGO) with expertise in waste management can take on additional responsibilities, while local governments act as facilitators, providing funding, support and monitoring. This combined involvement creates an effective public-private partnership or PPP model, with NGOs and CBOs actively participating in planning and implementation, enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of solid waste management systems.