Introduction

At the global level, waste management has moved from being a municipal housekeeping issue to a central pillar of climate action. This shift was clearly reflected at COP30 held in Belém in 2025, where waste reduction, methane mitigation, and circular economy approaches were foregrounded as essential climate solutions. Initiatives such as the global “No Organic Waste” (NOW) campaign emphasise treating waste not as an environmental burden, but as a valuable resource. India’s policy direction—through Mission LiFE and its growing emphasis on a circular economy—aligns well with this global transition from linear consumption to sustainable utilisation. For urban India, grappling with mounting waste mountains and deteriorating environmental conditions, this moment presents both a serious challenge and a transformative opportunity.

Urban India’s Growing Waste Challenge

• Rapid urbanisation has turned waste management into one of the most pressing governance and environmental challenges for Indian cities.

• Despite improvements in sanitation and cleanliness awareness, most Indian cities continue to lag behind global benchmarks for clean, healthy urban living.

• Urban India is projected to generate around 165 million tonnes of municipal waste annually by 2030, with volumes expected to rise sharply by 2050.

• This surge has serious implications for:

  • Public health, due to pollution and disease vectors

  • Urban finances, as waste management costs escalate

  • Climate change, since unmanaged waste is a major source of methane emissions

• Consequently, urban waste management is no longer a peripheral issue but a core climate and development priority.

Policy Efforts and the Shift in Urban Sanitation Thinking

• The launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission marked a turning point by expanding the policy focus from open defecation to cleaner urban environments.

• Building on this foundation, Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) 2.0 places emphasis on:

  • Garbage-free cities

  • Scientific remediation of legacy dump sites

  • Optimisation of resources through waste processing

• The target of achieving Garbage-Free Cities (GFC) by 2026 is not merely about urban aesthetics.

• It reflects an existential necessity to address environmental degradation, public health risks, and climate impacts linked to unmanaged urban waste.

Understanding the Composition of Urban Waste

• More than half of India’s municipal solid waste is organic in nature.

• This fraction can be effectively managed through:

  • Composting

  • Bio-methanation

• Compressed Biogas (CBG) plants offer significant opportunities for:

  • Renewable energy generation

  • Reduction of fossil fuel dependence

  • Methane emission mitigation

• Around one-third of urban waste consists of dry waste, particularly plastics, which pose the toughest challenge due to:

  • Poor segregation

  • Low recycling rates

  • Market constraints for recycled materials

• Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste, estimated at about 12 million tonnes annually, is a major urban pollutant.

• Much of this waste is dumped illegally, clogging drains, degrading urban landscapes, and wasting recyclable construction material.

Circular Economy Opportunities in Urban Waste

• A circular economy approach allows waste to be reintegrated into productive use.

• Organic waste can be converted into:

  • Compost for agriculture and urban landscaping

  • Biogas and energy

• Dry waste can support:

  • Recycling industries

  • Refuse-derived fuel for cement and other energy-intensive sectors

• C&D waste can be processed into recycled aggregates and construction materials, reducing pressure on natural resources.

• Reuse of wastewater and faecal sludge, particularly under programmes like AMRUT and SBM, is critical for:

  • Urban water security

  • Reducing freshwater stress in cities

 Challenges on the Ground

• Segregation of waste at source remains weak, undermining all downstream processing efforts.

• Collection, transportation, and processing systems are often fragmented and inefficient.

• Recycling capacity has not kept pace with the volume of waste generated.

• Recycled products face market acceptance and quality perception issues.

• Implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), especially for plastics, remains uneven.

• Enforcement of C&D Waste Management Rules is weak, with poor tracking of waste origin and disposal.

• Limited inter-departmental coordination and capacity constraints at the municipal level further weaken outcomes.

Enablers and Recent Policy Momentum

• The notification of new Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2025 (effective from 2026), signals stronger regulatory intent.

• There is growing policy focus on:

  • Recycling

  • Reuse

  • Wastewater and sludge management

• Platforms such as the Cities Coalition for Circularity (C-3) promote peer learning and sharing of best practices among urban local bodies.

• Increasing participation of the private sector and use of technology are expanding waste-to-energy and recycling solutions.

Role of Citizens and Urban Governance

• Citizen participation is central to successful waste management, particularly for:

  • Segregation at source

  • Waste reduction and reuse

• Urban local bodies require:

  • Adequate financial resources

  • Technical expertise

  • Trained human resources

• A balanced mix of incentives, penalties, awareness campaigns, and accountability mechanisms is essential to change behaviour and improve compliance.

Way Forward

• India must decisively move away from a linear “collect–dump” model towards a circular waste economy.

• Strengthening segregation at source and building reliable market linkages for recycled products are critical.

• Waste management policies should be integrated with water, sanitation, and climate action goals.

• Urban planning must place waste minimisation, resource recovery, and energy generation at its core rather than treating them as afterthoughts.

Conclusion

Urban India’s waste crisis is not merely a problem to be managed; it is an opportunity to reimagine cities as engines of sustainability. With strong governance, active citizen participation, and a firm commitment to circular economy principles, waste can be transformed from an urban liability into a national resource. Such a transition would not only lead to cleaner and healthier cities, but also support India’s climate commitments, resource security, and long-term sustainable growth.