NEW DELHI: India’s organic waste sector, driven by enabling policy, could provide a nearly $51 billion market opportunity by 2047 and create 26 lakh direct jobs, according to a study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).
If India reaches 100 per cent collection and processing of urban organic municipal waste, with a larger role for biomethanation, the market could be much larger at $62 billion, leading to about 101 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO₂e) in emissions reduction by 2047.
“This would require a larger shift towards mechanised and capital-intensive processing systems. Technology choices, feedstock quality, technical capacity and assured end-product markets will therefore be critical to success,” the report said.
CEEW assessed three pathways for the urban organic waste sector, including business-as-usual, accelerated policy and ambitious green transition scenarios. Its projections show that, under the accelerated policy scenario, India would require about $24 billion in cumulative investment by 2047 to scale up waste processing infrastructure.
“This could support markets for compost, compressed biogas or bio-CNG, fermented organic manure, and liquid fermented organic manure. It could also create direct jobs in feedstock management, plant operations, technical maintenance and related services,” it said.
If the country achieves full collection and processes 95 per cent of urban organic municipal waste through composting and biomethanation, net emissions of about 68 MtCO₂e could be removed by 2047. Alternatively, under the business-as-usual pathway, emissions could rise to about 120 MtCO₂e by 2047.
“Every kilo of bio-CNG produced from Delhi’s organic waste is a kilo of imported fossil fuel we do not need,” said Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Minister for Environment, Forest and Wildlife, Government of NCT of Delhi, in a note addressed to the launch.
Cities across the country currently generate about 171,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste every day, of which nearly half is organic. However, around 61 per cent of the total is currently treated, the study noted, adding that organic waste alone could reach 208 million tonnes annually by 2047.
The study recommended that cities must ensure high-quality, source-segregated feedstock and should regularly update waste generation and composition data. It added that procurement should move towards quality- and performance-based contracts, and city-level workforce training must be strengthened. Offtake markets for compost, fermented organic manure, liquid fermented organic manure and bio-CNG must be developed and made more reliable, it said.
For financing, it called for mechanisms such as hybrid annuity models, green bonds, stronger public-private partnerships, and better integration of waste user charges into municipal revenue systems.
According to the study, India’s waste-sector emissions increased by 226 per cent between 1994 and 2020, making it one of the fastest-growing contributors to national emissions.
Source: Business Standard
