New solid waste segregation rules raise questions on safety and livelihoods

By Bharat Dogra  

Waste management has been a weak link in India’s development story, and within this, the failure to ensure proper waste segregation has been particularly disappointing. This is despite the fact that, in some smaller initiatives, committed officials working with community participation have achieved very good results. However, such success has not been replicated at a wider level.

It is therefore welcome that new solid waste segregation rules are being framed for implementation in the near future. At the same time, some important cautions and modifications are necessary if these rules are to be effective.

Several news reports on the issue mention that glass is being included along with dry waste such as paper and plastic. This is a serious mistake. There should be a completely separate category for glass and other sharp objects that can cause cuts, either in their existing form or when broken during the rough handling of waste. Items such as glass, glass bottles, blades, bulbs, knives, and other sharp-edged instruments and tools should all fall under this category. In addition to the four commonly mentioned categories, a fifth category should be created specifically for such materials.

At present, significant harm is being caused to waste handlers as well as animals because this kind of waste is often collected and dumped in a manner that leads to injuries.

Secondly, it is essential to ensure that once large quantities of compostable waste become available in a segregated, ready-to-use form, adequate systems are in place to utilize it effectively. If such preparedness is lacking, piles of segregated wet waste will remain unused at various locations, creating new problems. Therefore, even before the new rules are implemented, widespread preparations should be made to use compostable material in scientific ways. This includes digging pits and providing technical guidance on how the compost can be used in gardens, kitchen gardens, parks, and farms, or collected for further processing.

Similarly, advance preparations should be made for the safe disposal of sanitation, hazardous, and injurious waste that has been carefully segregated. There should also be scope for further sub-segregation beyond the initial stage.

It is equally important to ensure that the livelihoods of unorganised sector workers and cottage-scale entrepreneurs—who have long been an integral part of waste management—are strengthened rather than harmed or disrupted by the new system. With proper segregation and processing, waste becomes much easier to handle. However, this also attracts large corporate interests that may seek to take over parts of the sector in highly mechanised ways, potentially displacing people who have traditionally depended on this work.

If the government plans carefully and acts with genuine intent, it can take advance steps to protect the interests of traditional waste handlers. These workers exist at different levels and come from diverse communities. At the bottom are rag pickers. Then there are traditional raddiwalas who collect old newspapers and dry waste from households and are relatively better placed. Sanitation workers or safaikarmis have long been collecting daily household waste, often in unsegregated forms. There are many others across the waste management chain. All of them deserve a better deal.

These workers have performed vital social roles under difficult and unhealthy conditions. Proper waste segregation opens up opportunities for cleaner, safer, and more creative forms of work. Indeed, waste management is one of the most promising areas for generating meaningful and productive employment for millions of people across the country. This potential can be realised only through careful, inclusive, and forward-looking planning.

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The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Protecting Earth for Children, A Day in 2071, Man over Machine, and Navjeevan