Barely 73 MW of power is being generated from waste material against a potential of 3000 MW annually in the country.
This is just about 2.4 per cent of the total potential, point out industry experts.
“It was possible to produce 1700 MW from the estimated 55 million tonnes of urban solid waste and 6,000 million cubic meters of liquid waste generated annually.
Power production potential from industrial waste was estimated to be 1,300 MW,” said Mr Ram N. Agnihotri, CII national head for Hazardous & Biomedical Waste Management.
“So far, only 50 projects with a total capacity of about 73.66 MW have been awarded for power generation,” he pointed out.
Only 10-12 per cent of this was treated or recycled, though almost the entire e-waste could be recycled if done scientifically.
“The business potential of e-waste is estimated to be Rs 700 crore’’, he said addressing the third Waste management summit 2012 organised by CII.
Environmental damage by solid, hazardous and e-wastes is to the tune of $32 billion, over five percent of India’s GDP.
Lack of technical and financial resources and of regulatory control for the management of wastes in the past have led to the unscientific disposal of wastes in India, he pointed out Prof Dr Asit Baran Mandal, director, CLRI, who released a book on best practices manual on industrial solid waste management, called for adopting new technologies in any industry, including leather.
Stressing the need for reuse and recycling, Mr S. Mani, chairman, Industrial Waste Management Association, said, “We are at a stage in the history of world that we all have to start thinking how we are going to bring back sustainability.”