Waste Management in India - Shifting Gears

Despite looking into the various categories of waste, we have limited the focus of this knowledge paper to the opportunities arising from the management of municipal solid waste, industrial solid waste (in general) and plastic waste. As the role of institutions (government) involved in the management and handling of waste became challenging with several events of disaster and epidemic situations in the country, the rules and regulations related to the management of these wastes were amended, thus resulting in greater roles being played by the authorities. Hence, in order to share the responsibilities and bring efficiencies in the management and handling of waste, avenues leading to private sector participation emerged as one of the options. Though the role of private sector participation was limited in the early decades of the century, a fresh perspective for the private sector involvement is being looked into for the management and handling of these wastes. This paper explores such opportunities present in the waste management sector through various policy and advocacy in the institutional context.