Winter Waste Burning Worsens Urban Air Pollution

Syllabus: GS3/ Environment

Context

• A report has found that open waste burning increases sharply during winter, and the quantity of waste burnt and associated emissions are up to three times higher than in summer.
  • Paper and plastics constituted major components of the waste being openly burnt. 

Reasons for Open Waste Burning

• Irregular door-to-door collection and weak municipal services encourage residents to burn accumulated waste.
• Limited Processing Capacity: Insufficient recycling, composting and waste-processing facilities lead to waste accumulation.
• Cost and Convenience: Burning is often perceived as a quick and low-cost method of disposing of household and commercial waste.
• Winter Heating: Waste burning increases during winter as some people use waste as a readily available source of warmth.
• Weak Enforcement of Rules: Inadequate monitoring and penalties allow repeated burning at dumping sites and public spaces.

Impacts of Waste Burning

• Environmental Impacts: 
  • Air Pollution: Releases particulate matter and toxic pollutants.
  • Soil and Water Contamination: Ash and residues contaminate soil and groundwater.
  • Food-Chain Contamination: Toxins accumulate in plants, animals and aquatic organisms.
  • Ecosystem Damage: Plastic residues harm wildlife and aquatic ecosystems.
  • Climate Impact: Releases greenhouse gases and black carbon.
• Health Impacts: 
  • Respiratory Problems: Causes coughing, breathing difficulties and irritation.
  • Cardiovascular Effects: Increases risks of heart and circulatory problems.
  • Toxic Exposure: Dioxins, heavy metals and PAHs cause long-term health risks.
  • Cancer Risk: Certain combustion products, including PAHs, are carcinogenic.

Government Initiatives 

• CAQM Measures: The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has identified recurring waste-dumping and burning locations as “waste-sensitive” sites and adopted a zero-tolerance approach under Operation Clean Air.
• Waste-to-Energy: The MNRE provides Central Financial Assistance for Waste-to-Energy projects that convert urban, industrial, agricultural and municipal waste into biogas, Bio-CNG, electricity and producer/syngas.
• Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana: Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has launched ‘Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN (Jaiv Indhan- Vatavaran Anukool fasal awashesh Nivaran) Yojana’ to provide financial support for integrated bio-ethanol projects.
• Legal Measures: The government has notified dedicated rules for solid waste, plastic waste, hazardous waste, e-waste, battery waste and biomedical waste to ensure scientific collection, processing and disposal.
  • Market-Based Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) mandates producers to manage post-consumer waste for plastic packaging, e-waste, batteries, tyres, and used oil. It promotes recycling, reduces landfill pressure, and curbs emissions from informal waste handling.
  • Ban on 12 Single-Use Plastics (SUP) items with low utility and high littering potential, like plastic cutlery, straws, and thermocol decorations.

Way Ahead

• Cities need to move from reactive enforcement to source-level prevention through universal door-to-door collection, decentralised processing and systematic monitoring of waste-sensitive locations.
• Municipalities should integrate winter-specific waste-management plans with air-pollution action plans, particularly in economically vulnerable neighbourhoods.
• Providing safe heating alternatives to sanitation and waste-management workers, along with stronger segregation and recycling systems, can address both the causes and consequences of winter waste burning.

Source: TH