Solid Waste Management (SWM) Cess

Context:

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahangara Palike’s (BBMP) proposal for a Solid Waste Management (SWM) Cess highlights the financial strain ULBs face in managing India’s burgeoning solid waste crisis.

ULBs and SWM:

• The Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 authorize ULBs to levy user fees or SWM cess to recover costs associated with waste collection, processing, and disposal.
• Current user fees (₹30-50/month) collected with property tax are insufficient to cover SWM expenses.

Financial Burden on ULBs:

• SWM is resource-intensive, consuming 80% of ULB manpower and up to 50% of their annual budgets.
• Collection and transportation (85-90% of SWM budget) are expensive, leaving limited resources for processing and disposal (10-15%).

Waste Processing Challenges:

• While 55-60% of Indian municipal waste is wet and compostable, inefficient methods yield only 10-12% compost/biogas, making processing financially unsustainable.
• Operational revenue from composting facilities covers just 35-40% of expenses.
• Disposal of non-biodegradable waste requires transport to distant facilities, further increasing costs.

The Way Forward:

• Improved Segregation: Effective waste segregation at source can significantly improve composting yields and reduce transportation costs.
• Curbing Single-Use Plastics: The rising use of single-use plastics creates additional waste management burdens.
• Decentralized Composting: Implementing ward-level Micro Composting Centers (MCCs), as seen in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, can process wet waste locally and reduce transportation costs.
• Bulk Waste Management: Large institutions with space can set up in-house processing units, reducing dependence on ULB services.