Waste, if efficiently treated, can be instrumental in helping the country meet its energy requirements and reducing greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions.

Indian urban population currently produces 42 million tonnes of waste per annum?or 1,15,000 tonne per day (TPD). Most of the waste generated finds its way into land and water bodies, without proper treatment, emitting gases like methane and carbon dioxide, resulting in bad odour, air and water pollution as well as increase in the emission of GHGs.

With increasing population and per capita income, the quantum of waste generated will only increase in the near future. It is thus imperative that environment friendly waste-to-energy technologies are adopted for processing waste before disposal and generating value.

To deliberate on these challenges, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) organised a two-day Environment Conclave where experts from various sectors underlined the enormous scope in the waste-to-energy treatment, which has till now remained untapped.

?The potential is in thousands of mega watts, but very little has been done so far. We have reached a stage where we can really take off. We have conducted a lot of pilot projects. With access to technology, it should catch on sooner than later,? said Anil K Dhussa, director, ministry of new and renewable energy.

Some of the current numbers show a pitiable state of affairs. The energy potential from municipal, industrial, and livestock wastes is estimated at 2,600 mw, 1,300 mw and 1,000 mw respectively and that too if only 10% is harnessed. But only 80 mw of total energy is generated from these sources put together.

In fact, under Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission, 40 projects have been sanctioned Rs 2,186 crore. The 12th Finance commission has earmarked Rs 2,500 crore for municipal solid waste management.

Experts say waste management is a good business for the private sector if they can participate in collection, transportation, and processing of compost into energy. ?Most business opportunities arise from public private partnership models. A lot of waste, including the municipal waste, generated is energy rich. The municipalities can contract private players but it has to be done on a competitive basis,? said Prodipto Ghosh, former secretary, ministry of environment and forests.

Stressing on the need to generate power from waste, Harsh Pati Singhania, president, Ficci, said, ?There is a need to formulate national policy for public-private partnerships in waste management. This policy should lay down proper guidelines and directions to encourage private sector participation, and provide framework for business models that will provide viability gap funding wherever required and ensure cost recovery for services rendered in other areas.?

He further elucidated that a viable business model that incentivises private sector participation in waste treatment should ensure three things. ?A minimum critical mass of waste should be supplied for treatment, a tipping fee should be offered for recovering the cost of treatment, and a market should be provided for end-products of waste treatment.?

At the present, there is no market for end-products that emerge out of waste treatment. Compost, which offers environmental benefits, has no assured offtake in the absence of a clear marketability proposition.

For the private sector, there are other opportunities as well. ?The waste coming out from small units cannot afford treatment of waste and energy recovery. So, there are possibilities for private entrepreneurs to come forward and collect waste from these units and treat it and earn revenue by selling biogas. Such partnerships are taking place in big projects such as poultry and distilleries, but it is equally important to manage waste from small units,? said N P Singh, advisor, ministry of new and renewable energy.

?We have to explore all options, be it technology or administration. For example, segregation is the key. If it can be done, then one can recover value from waste through low-cost models,? said Ashwin Shroff, chairman, Ficci Environment Committee & CMD, Excel Industries Limited.