NGT seeks details of waste to energy plants not complying with norms

New Delhi : The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to produce all the details relating to waste to energy (WtE) plants not complying with the statutory norms.

A bench, headed by Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, was hearing a suo moto original application relating to the utility of WtE plants and their sustainability in the country’s waste problem.

The green tribunal recorded that though CPCB filed its reply, the full details of WtE plants that are not complying with the norms have not been filed.

Posting the matter for hearing in January next year, the NGT ordered the counsel for CPCB to appear and produce all the materials and details relating to WtE plants that are not complying with the statutory norms.

In May, the tribunal had registered suo-motu proceedings on the basis of a news item titled "Waste to energy: Smokescreen or solution?" appearing in the Indian Development Review.

As per the article, WtE technologies allow for the recovery of energy by burning or incinerating waste that cannot be recycled or composted and have two-fold benefits - firstly, they offer an alternative waste disposal mechanism, diverting solid waste from landfills, and Two, secondly, through the generation of electricity or heat by burning waste, they provide a renewable energy source that limits reliance on fossil fuels, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, the article claimed that though WtE plants have seen relative success in the European Union, environmentalists and scientists have warned that they may not be a suitable solution for India's waste problem.

It highlighted that there were two pertinent issues with incineration as a waste management solution in India.

First, domestic waste in India typically contains high moisture content and has low calorific value, making it unsuitable for efficient combustion in WtE plants. The article alleged that mixed waste has high moisture content and needs supplementary energy to incinerate or it won't burn well. This energy is typically fossil-fuel-based, undermining the claim that electricity produced by WtE plants is altogether clean.

Second, incineration of mixed waste produces toxic particles, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and sulphur dioxide, due to inefficient burning. These particles can cause respiratory ailments and also lead to chronic lung diseases, such as asthma, among people who live near WtE plant sites.

Noting that the matter indicated a violation of Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 and the Environment Protection Act, 1986, the NGT decided to examine the issue suo moto and issued notice to the CPCB and the Union Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change. It also joined the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, and IITs Delhi and Mumbai in the proceedings. The green tribunal said that there is an urgent need to adopt sustainable waste management practices, with incineration and landfilling relegated to the back of the queue.