Who knew that waste could be turned into gold?

Its 1.2 billion population and 6.5% GDP growth in 2011 are pushing India towards a drastic shift in its urban and industrial waste policy. The country is plagued with nearly 55 million of tons of municipal solid waste and 38 billion liters of sewage. Greater consumption and rising incomes in India are increasing pressure on the environment. The authorities will have to address waste to energy initiative. Waste to energy technologies can treat and process waste, turn it into renewable energy resources, clear the landfill and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. India’s potential for waste to energy initiatives is greater now that the Indian Government is promoting the technologies.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) admits that there is a potential of about 1,700MW from urban waste and 1,300MW from industrial waste. Waste to energy process recovers energy from a fraction of waste, thus clearing the way for the development of a new kind of renewable energy. The potential lies in the great amount of waste available in India and the incentive measures that should be implemented in this field. Waste to energy technology can use thermal conversion, thermo-chemical conversion, biochemical conversion, or electrochemical conversion. This potential combined with highly volatile fuel prices is enough reason for India to take a close look at the energy technology option. It should also be a profitable business as soon as the government provides incentives, such as capital subsidies and feed-in tariffs. Above all, waste to energy could be a key to further energy independence. Yet, according to MNRE, only 24MW have been exploited so far and less than 2% of total potential has been achieved.

Waste to energy technology is a nascent process, requiring several readjustments. One, the new technologies and their equipment have to be imported, putting a greater strain on general costs. State governments do not seem to have really considered this opportunity since no policy guidelines have emerged yet. Indian waste could turn into gold, as it could become one of the new alternatives to energy dependency and provide India with sustainable resources. The next step could be further cooperation with the waste management sector with a view to expanding to other Asian countries.