The world generates 2.01 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste annually, with at least 33 percent of that—extremely conservatively—not managed in an environmentally safe manner. Worldwide, waste generated per person per day averages 0.74 kilogram but ranges widely, from 0.11 to 4.54 kilograms. Though they only account for 16 percent of the world’s population, high-income countries generate about 34 percent, or 683 million tonnes, of the world’s waste.
Urban India is now the world's third largest garbage generator. But the amount of waste generated is not as much of an issue as the fact that over 45 million tonnes (or 3 million trucks worth) of garbage is untreated and disposed of by municipal authorities each year in an unhygienic manner.
Rapid increase in urbanisation and per capita income in India has significantly led to an increase in municipal solid waste generation in the country.
Electronic waste and plastic waste has contributed a large amount to the total waste stream in recent years. The use of domestic hazardous waste and bio-medical waste last year shot up due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Improper and unscientific disposal of these wastes can be hazardous for human life and the environment.
Urban Indian generates 62 million tonnes of waste (MSW) annually, said a 2014 Planning Commission report. It also predicted that the volume will increase to 165 million tonnes by 2030.
India’s solid waste collection efficiency, however, is around 70 per cent at present, while it is almost 100 per cent in many developed countries.
Moreover, 43 million tonnes of municipal solid waste was collected annually, out of which 31 million was dumped at the landfill sites and 11.9 million was treated, the environment ministry said in 2016.
A huge portion of the untreated waste is dumped irregularly on the outskirts of towns or cities,causing groundwater contamination and air pollution. There is, thus, a growing need to detect blind spots in the collection and transportation of waste so that the operation can be made more efficient.
Similar to the central government’s ‘Digital India’ campaign launched in 2015, progressive digitalisation needs to be introduced in waste management. India should shift from conventional logistics to digitally automated tracking technologies which are energy-efficient and cost-sensitive.
The need for digitalization in waste collection and disposal operations goes beyond information technology. Smart waste management will create improved data quality and better insights into waste streams during operations.
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