Needed: Incentive to recycle waste

HYDERABAD: Industries in India generate an estimated 100 million tonnes of nonhazardous solid waste every year.Municipal solid waste generated in urban areas in the country amounts to 50 million tonnes and 6000 million cubic metres of liquid waste.Where does all the garbage go? In Hyderabad, areas such as Jawahar Nagar have mountains of disposed waste.Jogarao Bhamidipati, vice-president, commercial ITC Ltd said the city spends around Rs 17 crore for waste management every month.Speaking at the inaugural of the twoday Waste Management Summit 2011 organised by the Confederatrion of Indian Industry-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre (CIIGodrej GBC) here on Friday, Bhamidipati, who is part of ITC's Wealth out of Waste initiative, said a large part of the garbage we dump can be recycled.In Hyderabad alone, around 4,300 tonnes of garbage is dumped everyday out of which 1200 tonnes of raw material can be recycled, according to him.Speaking to Express, Ram N Agnihotri, national head of BMW Ramky Enviro Engineers, felt that a formal regualtion is crucial for efficient management of waste."There is no rule at present as to what can be dumped and what ought to be recycled," he said.S Mani, chairman of Industrial Waste Management Association in Tamil Nadu added that what is dumped as waste by one person can actually be recycled and used by the other. The government should set up a waste management cell to exchange such recycled materials.Also, the government can pay people for separating recyclable materials from other garbage, as a sign of encouragement. "It must encourage more entrepreneurs to take up this activity.Once waste management is developed as an industry, the social stigma attached to it will cease to exist wich will be followed by better working conditions," he said.