waste waste inventory west... · phase-i and installation of incinerator is under phase-ii. the...

PPPPPararararart IIt IIt IIt IIt II Annual Report 2006-2007 67

WASTEWASTEWASTEWASTEWASTEMANAGEMENTMANAGEMENTMANAGEMENTMANAGEMENTMANAGEMENT

CHAPTERCHAPTERCHAPTERCHAPTERCHAPTERTHREETHREETHREETHREETHREE

One of the prime mandates of the WestBengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) is toensure safe collection, storage, treatment,disposal and transport of various solid wastesas well as semi-solid waste such as hazardouswaste from industries, biomedical waste fromhealthcare establishments, as also municipal solidwaste that non-biodegradable plastic waste.

HAZARDOUS WHAZARDOUS WHAZARDOUS WHAZARDOUS WHAZARDOUS WASTE MANAASTE MANAASTE MANAASTE MANAASTE MANAGEMENTGEMENTGEMENTGEMENTGEMENT

The Ministry of Environment and Forests,Government of India notified the HazardousWaste (Management and Handling) Rules in theyear 1989 under the Environment (Protection)Act, 1986. Thereafter the Rules were amendedtwice in the years 2000 and 2003. As per the

68 Chapter 3 PPPPPararararart IIt IIt IIt IIt IIWaste Management

latest amendment Rules of 2003, the Board hasmade an inventory of hazardous waste generatingindustries in the state of West Bengal.

There are 609 hazardous waste generating unitsin West Bengal. Amongst the nineteen districts ofthe state, two districts (Darjeeling and SouthDinajpur) do not generate hazardous waste. Thetotal quantum of hazardous waste generationfrom West Bengal is 2,59,776.24 metric tonnes

per annum (MTPA), out of which 46 per cent(1,20,596.41 MTPA) is landfillable, 49 per cent(1,26,596.38 MTPA) is recyclable and the remaining5 per cent (12,583.45 MTPA) is incinerable by nature.Interestingly, it was observed that the majority ofhazardous waste generating units in the state is smalland is generating meagre quantity of waste, whereas theunits generating substantial amountof hazardous wastes are limited in number.

FIGURE: 2.3.1HAZARDOUS WASTE GENERATION IN WEST BENGAL

Disposable46%

Recyclable49%

Incinerable5%

TABLE: 2.3.1INVENTORY OF HAZARDOUS WASTE GENERATING UNITS IN WEST BENGAL

Total number of districts in West Bengal 19Districts having hazardous waste generating industries 17Total number of hazardous waste generating units identified 705Total number of operative hazardous waste generating units 609Total quantity of hazardous waste generation in West Bengal 2,59,776.24 MT/A

Incinerable Hazardous Waste 12,583.45 MT/ARecyclable Hazardous Waste 1,26,596.38 MT/ADisposable Hazardous Waste 1,20,596.41 MT/A

Total number of closed hazardous waste generating Units 96


TABLE: 2.3.2DISTRICT WISE BREAK-UP OF HAZARDOUS WASTE

GENERATION IN WEST BENGAL

Total no. of Total hazardous waste generation (in MTA)hazardous waste

Districts generating units Disposable Recyclable Incinerable Totalin operation

24 Pgs (N) 82 775.853 7500.1126 28.27 8304.2424 Pgs (S) 60 24300.53 1407.06 66.51 25774.10Bankura 5 45980.70 7.50 - 45988.20Birbhum 2 3.00 1.00 - 4.00Burdwan 31 32656.23 106999.12 8357.66 148013.01Coochbehar 1 - 3.69 - 3.69Purba Midnapore 24 4901.01 990.48 2247.42 8138.90Hooghly 50 7328.61 551.14 333.13 8212.87Howrah 155 2287.00 7323.61 258.40 9869.00Jalpaiguri 13 149.71 18.48 79.33 247.52Kolkata 156 571.56 1132.39 683.03 2386.99Malda 1 - - 10.80 10.80Murshidabad 1 - 180.00 - 180.00Nadia 11 511.00 251.08 216.01 978.08North Dinajpur 1 - - 0.84 0.84Purulia 2 - 45.06 - 45.06Paschim Midnapore 14 1131.21 185.68 302.05 1618.94Total 609 120596.41 126596.38 12583.45 259776.24

FIGURE: 2.3.2DISTRICT WISE NUMBER OF HAZARDOUS WASTE GENERATING UNITS AND

HAZARDOUS WASTE GENERATION

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

24 Pgs

(N)

24 Pgs

(S)

Banku

ra

Birbhu

m

Burdwan

Cooch

-beha

r

E.Midn

apore

Hoogh

ly

Howrah

Jalpa

iguri

Kolkata

Malda

Murshid

abad

Nadia

North D

inajpu

r

Purulia

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apore

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nits

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20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

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160000

HW

Gen

erat

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(in M

TA)

Units Total HW


First Common Storage, Treatment andDisposal Facility (CSTDF) for hazardouswaste

The first Common Storage, Treatment andDisposal Facility (CSTDF) for hazardouswaste under the Public Private Partnership(PPP) have been developed in Haldia. It is ajoint venture project of Haldia DevelopmentAuthority (HDA) and M/s Ramky EnviroEngineers Limited.

In April 2003, the Haldia DevelopmentAuthority (HDA) and M/s Ramky EnviroEngineers Limited formed a joined venturecompany under the name and style of M/sWest Bengal Waste Management Limited todevelop and operate the integrated wastemanagement complex for taking care of theindustrial hazardous wastes from the entirestate of West Bengal. The land for the CommonHazardous Waste Storage, Treatment andDisposal Facility (CHWSTDF) with an areaof 70.46 acres is being developed at MouzaPurba Srikrishnapur, J.L. No. 103, P.S.

Sutahata, Purba Medinipur. The total landrequirement is 200 acres for Phase-I and II.Out of this, 70.46 acres has been acquired andis being utilised for the development of thelandfill facility. Temporary storage facility,laboratory and other infrastructure is underPhase-I and installation of incinerator is underPhase-II. The life of the landfill facility is 30years.

The WBPCB issued ‘Consent to Establish’ forthe facility on April 28, 2004. After a publichearing on July 30, 2004, the Department ofEnvironment, Government of West Bengalissued environmental clearance on October 18,2004. Site notification was done by theGovernment of West Bengal on October 18,2004. The total amount of hazardous wastesto be landfilled at the site is 1,20,000 tonnesper annum. In addition, 60,000 tonnes perannum of hazardous wastes can be stabilisedand treated, and 20,000 tonnes per annum ofhazardous wastes can be incinerated. The totalproject cost for the CHWTSDF is given inTable 2.3.3.

TABLE: 2.3.3SOURCE OF FINANCE FOR CHWSTDF AT HALDIA

Source AmountPromoters equity Rs. 20 croresM/s. Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd. Rs. 10 croresHaldia Development Authority Rs. 32 lakhsOthers Rs. 32 lakhsDeposits Rs. 936 lakhsGrant Rs. 11 croresMinistry of Environment and Forests, Government of India Rs.2 croresState Government Rs.2 croresHaldia Development Authority Rs. 7 croresTerm loans from financial institutions Rs. 23 crores

Out of the financial assistance of Rs. 4 crores, theMinistry of Environment and Forests (MoEF),Government of India would grant Rs. 2 croresand the State Government would grant Rs. 2crores. A Memorandum of Understanding wassigned on January 31, 2006 between MoEF,WBPCB and M/s West Bengal WasteManagement Limited. Accordingly, both the

WBPCB and the MoEF had released Rs. 80 lakhseach to the West Bengal Waste Management Ltd.as the first installment.

The WBPCB has constituted a technicalcommittee comprising representatives ofvarious industry associations, engineeringinstitutions, Department of Environment,


Government of West Bengal and many others toreview the membership fee and the cost for thetreatment and disposal of the hazardous wastesat the CHWTSDF, Haldia. The inclusion ofdifferent industry associations in the committeefacilitates the process of joining of the individualunits, especially the tiny ones (belonging to theindividual associations) as members of the

CHWTSDF. The operator of the facility hasaccepted the recommendation of the Committeeregarding the lowering of the membership feefor the tiny sector in order to reduce the economicburden on them as well as to encourage them tobecome members. The said Technical Committeehas agreed upon a cost structure (Table 3.3.4) forthe treatment and disposal of hazardous wastes.

TABLE: 2.3.4COST FOR TREATMENT and DISPOSAL OF ONE TONNE OF WASTE

Type of Treatment Cost (Rs.)Land filling 990.00Stabilization 1,597.00Incineration 18,500.00

Note: Transportation Cost is Rs. 4.00 / Km. The transportation of the hazardous waste may also be arranged by the member-industry by own transport arrangement, provided the transporter should obtain the authorization from the WBPCB for thetransportation of the hazardous waste, and also comply with the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Rules.

The first cell of the landfill facility with an areaof 1.99 acres has been in operation sinceOctober 2006. Five such cells will be developedwith a total area of 33 acres. Intermediatestorage facility, waste stabilization facility anda full-fledged analytical laboratory are also inoperation. The installation of an incinerator,which is part of Phase-II of the project has

also started, and the incinerator is scheduled to startoperation in December 2007. More than 300hazardous waste generating units are becomemembers of the CHWTSDF at Haldia. The Boardhas been sensitive to the needs ofthe industries, particularly to the small-scale sector,and has played a major role in revising themembership fees for the smaller units.

TABLE: 2.3.5MEMBERSHIP FEES TO JOIN TSDF

Investment (in Rs.) Membership fees for Industry Category

Red Orange

< 2 lakhs 3,0002 lakhs to 5 lakhs 5,0005 lakhs to 10 lakhs 10,00010 lakhs to 60 lakhs 20,000 10,00060 lakhs to 1 crore 35,000 20,0001 to 5 crores 75,000 40,0005 to 10 crores 1 lakh 50,00010 to 50 crores 1.5 lakhs 75,00050 to 100 crores 2 lakhs 1 lakh100 to 200 crores 3 lakhs 1.5 lakhs> 200 crores 5 lakhs 2.5 lakhs


1st Cell of the Common Landfill Facility at Haldia (in operation)

Installation of Incineration Plant at the Common Facility at Haldia

First Cell of the Common Landfilll facility at Haldia (in operation)

INstallaation of incineartion plant at the common facility at Haldia


MUNICIPMUNICIPMUNICIPMUNICIPMUNICIPAL SOLID WAL SOLID WAL SOLID WAL SOLID WAL SOLID WASTEASTEASTEASTEASTEMANAMANAMANAMANAMANAGEMENTGEMENTGEMENTGEMENTGEMENT

rendering the overall responsibility forenforcement of MSW management to theDepartment of Environment, Government ofWest Bengal and the District Magistrates of theconcerned districts. It may be mentioned that theWBPCB impresses upon the municipalities anddistrict authorities to comply with theprovisions of the Rules. The status ofcompliance of MSW authorisation ofmunicipal corporations/municipalities in thestate of West Bengal as per provisions of theMSW Rules is given in Table 2.3.6.

TABLE: 2.3.6STATUS OF COMPLIANCE OF CORPORATIONS / MUNICIPALITIES

Area Total No. of Total No. of Total No. ofCorporations/Municipalities Corporations/Municipalities Corporations/Municipalities

who have complied with who have applied for to whom authorisationprovisions of MSW Rules authorisation have been granted

KMA 41 38 23Non-KMA 85 66 30

126 104 53

KMA : Kolkata Metropolitan Area ; Non -KMA: Outside Kolkata Metropolitan Area

Model MSW Management Facility of NorthDumdum and New BarrackporeMunicipalities

This is a model project on MSW managementfor both the municipalities with financial supportfrom the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)and Kolkata Metropolitan Development authority(KMDA) on a 50:50 cost sharing basis. The firstphase of the project, which included collection,transportation and intermediate storage of MSWis complete. After approval, the proposal for thesecond phase (i.e. development of vermi-compost plant and landfill facility by the CPCB)was made.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)between the CPCB, WBPCB, KMDA and theChairpersons of North Dumdum Municipalityand New Barrackpore Municipality had beensigned. The total project cost for the second phaseis Rs.374 lakhs. The construction of 75 vermi-compost pits, boundary wall, approach road, etc.are in progress. The size of the each pit will be15 m x 1.5 m. The capacity of the compost plantwill be 50 MT/day.

There will be two landfill facilities (Cell-I and Cell-II) under the project, and it will be developed atMouza Fatullapur (J.L.No.3) PS. Nimta, North24 Parganas located within North DumdumMunicipal area. The development of the landfillfacility (Cell-I) will be started soon.

Construction of Vermi compost pits for the ModelFacility Project in North Dum Dum and New

Barrackpore municipal areas

Indiscriminate dumping of solid waste is apersisting problem in West Bengal. Theidentification and allocation of suitable land sitesin the densely populated Kolkata MetropolitanArea (KMA) is one of the major constraints ofscientific management of municipal solid waste(MSW). The Solid Waste (Management andHandling) Rules, 2000 under the Environment(Protection) Act, 1986 has provisions for


JBIC Project for integrated solid wastemanagement for six municipalities inHooghly District

With financial support from the Japan Bank ofInternational Cooperation (JBIC), the integratedregional solid waste management plan will bedeveloped for six municipalities under the projecttitled SAPROF (Special Assistance for ProjectFormation). The names of the municipalities areSrirampore, Rishra, Uttarpara-Kotrang,Konnagar, Baidyabati and Champdany. TheKMDA is the executive agency and they are inthe process of selecting vendors to develop thefacility. Under this project, individual vermi-compost plant will be made for each municipalitywithin their jurisdiction, whereas a commonshared landfill facility will be developed at MouzaDirghangi, Hooghly. A total area of 51 acres ofland has also been acquired to develop the landfillfacility. The project will be completed by 2009.

MSW Project for KMA municipalities underJawaharlal Nehru National Urban RenewalMission (JNNURM)

A total number of ten municipal bodies(Barrackpore, North Barrackpore, Garulia,Kamarhati, Rajpur-Sonarpur, Bansberia, Bally,Budge Budge, Hooghly-Chinsurah andRajarhat-Gopalpur) have been selected by theKMDA for this project. The Detailed ProjectReport (DPR) has been approved by theJawaharlal Nehru National Urban RenewalMission (JNNURM) for financial assistanceto develop the landfill facility and compostplant, either on an individual or shared basis.The financial contributions of JNNURM,State Government and Municipalities for theseprojects will be 35 per cent, 60 per cent and 5per cent respectively. All these municipalitieshave introduced a door-to-door collectionsystem for collection of MSW. The compostplant will be vermi-compost by nature.

MSW Project for non-KMA municipalitiesunder JNNURM

This will be an integrated regional solid wastemanagement plant, which have been approvedby the JNNURM. This facility will bedeveloped for four municipalities under theproject. The names of these municipalities are

Durgapur Municipal Corporation, AsansolMunicipal Corporation, RanigunjMunicipality and Jamuria Municipality. AsansolDurgapur Development Authority (ADDA) hasalready identified the land at Mouza Mangalpur,Ranigunj for the development of shared sanitarylandfill facility and compost plant. NationalProductivity Council (NPC) has prepared a DPRfor the compost plant and the landfill facility. Thecapacity of the shared compost plant will be 125MT/day.

MSW Management by MaheshtalaMunicipality

The compost plant (vermi-composting) hasalready been developed with the technicalknow-how of the Karnataka CompostDevelopment Corporation (KCDC). Thework for the development of the Sanitarylandfill facility will start soon.

Common MSW Management Facility byDumdum, South Dumdum and BaranagarMunicipalities

The integrated mechanical compost plant ofcapacity 200 MT for these three municipalitieswill be developed with the technical know-how of the KCDC. The Agency had beenengaged by the KMDA. The constructionwork of the project will be commenced verysoon.

MSW Management by PanihatiMunicipality

The compost plant (vermin-composting) hasalready been developed with the technicalknow-how of the KCDC. The project reportof the sanitary landfill facility has beenprepared by the NPC. Both the agencies wereengaged by the KMDA. The constructionwork for the sanitary landfill facility will bedeveloped soon.

MSW Management by KalyaniMunicipality

Kalyani municipality has a mechanism ofcollecting wastes from the individualhouseholds, markets, etc. throughcontainerised tricycle vans. But presently themunicipality is operating its compost plant


(vermi-composting) for utilising only marketgarbage. The municipality has alreadyestablished marketability of their compost. Ithas also taken initiatives to develop the compostplant in a larger scale at the already-identifiedland to process the biodegradable wastesgenerated in the entire municipal area.

MSW Management by BhadreswarMunicipality

The municipality is collecting MSW from thedoorstep in each ward through containerizedtricycle vans. The biodegradable waste isprocessed in the compost plant (vermin-composting). The sanitary landfill facility hasalso been developed at the same site.

MSW Management by ChandernagoreMunicipal Corporation

The vermi-compost plant has already beendeveloped and taken into operation. The

Vermi-compost pits of Kalyani Municipality

Specially designed movable MSW collection bin used atKalyani Municipality

Raw MSW dumped in the platform for preparing the wastefor Vermi-compost pits at Bhadreswar Municipality

municipal authority is selling the compost to thelocal farmers, nurseries etc. The construction workfor the sanitary landfill facility is in progress. TheMunicipal Corporation has introduced a door-to-door collection of MSW in all the wards bycontainerized tricycle vans.

Though a few MSW processing plants has beendeveloped or are undergoing development, thedevelopment of a good number of suchprocessing plants of various municipalities in theState is under active consideration of the MunicipalAffairs Department, Government of West Bengal,KMDA and Municipal Engineering Directorate(MED).

BIOMEDICBIOMEDICBIOMEDICBIOMEDICBIOMEDICAL WAL WAL WAL WAL WASTEASTEASTEASTEASTEMANAMANAMANAMANAMANAGEMENTGEMENTGEMENTGEMENTGEMENT

The potentially hazardous waste generating by thehealth care units are termed as Bio-Medical Waste(BMW). The disposal of untreated biomedicalwastes poses both environmental and publichealth risks. It also acts as an occupational healthhazard to the healthcare personnel who handlessuch waste at the point of generation, as well asthose involved with their management (i.e.segregation, storage, transport, treatment anddisposal). The indiscriminate disposal of untreatedwastes is the cause of spread of infectious diseases.Apart from these, a good amount of biomedicalwastes including disposable syringes, saline bottles,IV fluid bottles, etc. are picked up by the rag-pickers, and are recycled back to the market


without disinfection. It is imperative, therefore,to adopt appropriate system for the safecollection, storage, transport, treatment anddisposal of biomedical wastes. Realising theseriousness of the problems associated with thepoor management of the biomedical wastes, theMinistry of Environment and Forests,Government of India notified the Bio-MedicalWaste (Management and Handling) Rules in theyear 1998 in order to regulate theenvironmental menace due to mismanagementof hospital waste. The Rules were amended in 2003.

Rules framed for BMW management

The Ministry of Environment and Forests,Government of India, notified the Bio-MedicalWaste (Management and Handling) Rules inJuly 1998 under the Environment (Protection)Act, 1986, through Gazette notification S.O.630 (E). Thereafter, the Bio-Medical Waste(Management and Handling) Rules wereamended thrice in the years 2000 and 2003.The first amendment was published on 6th

March 2000 vide S.O. 210 (E), secondamendment was published on 2nd June 2000vide the Gazette Notification S.O. 545 (E) andthe third Amendment was published on 17th

September 2003 vide Gazette NotificationS.O. 1069 (E). These rules regulate thegeneration, handling, collection, storage,transport, treatment and disposal of BMW.Some of the salient features of these rules aregiven below.

1. These rules are applicable to hospitals,nursing homes, veterinary institutions,pathological laboratories and clinics,blood banks, etc. that generatebiomedical wastes.

2. The State Pollution Control Board/Pollution Control Committee is theprescribed authority for theimplementation of the Rules in theSates/Union Territories.

3. Every occupier of the healthcare unitsgenerating, collecting, receiving,storing, transporting, treating, disposingand/or handling BMW in any othermanner, except such occupier of clinics,dispensaries, pathological laboratories,

blood banks providing treatment/serviceto less than 1000 patients per month shallmake an application in Form-I to theprescribed authority for grant ofauthorisation.

4. The prescribed authority shall, onreceipt of Form-I, make such enquiryas it deems fit, and if it is satisfied thatthe applicant possesses the necessarycapacity to handle the BMW inaccordance with the Rules, may grantor renew an authorization, as the casemay be.

5. The onus of treatment of the BMWsquarely lies with the occupier of thehealthcare units.

6. The municipal body of the area shallpick up and transport segregated non-biomedical waste generated in thehospitals and nursing homes, as wellas duly treated BMW for disposal atthe municipal dump site.

7. The BMW shall not be stored beyond48 hours without permission of theappropriate authority.

8. The occupier of the healthcare unitneeds to maintain the records relatedto the generation, collection,reception, storage, transportation,treatment, disposal and/or any formof handling BMW.

9. Every occupier/operator shall submit anannual report (of the status of BMWmanagement) to the State PollutionControl Board in Form-II by 31st Januaryevery year. The State Pollution ControlBoard shall send this information in acompiled form to the CPCB by 31st

March every year.According to the provisions of the Bio-MedicalWaste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998and its amendments, it was clearly mentioned thatthe generator of the BMW (i.e. the occupier ofthe healthcare unit) is solely responsible for thetreatment of BMW generated from their units,and the municipality can pick up the treated BMWfrom them. But response from the healthcare unitsis not at all encouraging. Many of the healthcareunits, particularly in the government sector arenot conscious about this matter, as a result, the


Common Bio-Medical Waste Treatment andDisposal Facilities in West Bengal

Common Bio-Medical Waste Treatmentand Disposal Facilities by PrivateOperator: Considering 80 per cent of thetotal capacity are being utilised, thesefacilities cover 80,000 beds. The facilitiesare:

1 . Howrah : M/s SembRamkyEnvironmental Management Pvt. Ltd.(capacity 30,000 beds/day);

2. Kalyani : M/s Medicare Incin Pvt. Ltd.(capacity 30,000 beds/day);

3. Haldia : M/s West Bengal Waste Manage-ment Ltd. (capacity 10,000 beds/day); and

TABLE: 2.3.7PRESENT STATUS OF COMPLIANCE OF HEALTHCARE UNITS

IN WEST BENGAL DURING 2006-2007

Sl Total Total Total amountno. Healthcare Facilities no. of no. of of biomedical Total amount Total no. of

units beds waste of biomedical units that havegenerated waste treated obtained(kg/day) (kg/day) authorisation

A. Healthcare units in townshaving population of 30 lakhs 368 25575 6383 6383 362and above

B. Healthcare Units in towns having population below 30 lakhsi) With 500 beds and above 17 10909 2727.25 1709 16ii)With 200 beds and above but 51 13922 3480 1028.75 45less than 500 bedsiii)With 50 beds and above but 167 13114 3448.50 820.50 108less than 200 bedsiv) With less than 50 beds 2975 30607 7651.75 1420.75 1075

C . Healthcare units generating KMC- 27**biomedical waste but not 495included in A or B.

OutsideKMC-2363 38**

* Most of the healthcare units have exempted from applying for authorisation.** These are non-bedded healthcare units like pathology, diagnostic center, clinic etc.

untreated wastes are either disposed to themunicipal vats or ordinarily buried or burned. Itis also observed during inspection of somerenowned healthcare units that the unauthorised

waste recycling trends persist due to the lack ofseriousness of the healthcare units.

4. Asansol : M/s Medicare Incin Pvt. Ltd.(capacity 30,000 beds/day).

Common Bio-Medical Waste Treatmentand Disposal Facilities under the WestBengal Health System Development Project(WBHSDP), Health Department,Government of West Bengal

1. Kalyani : JNM Hospital, Kalyani(Autoclave: capacity 50 kgs./cycle)covering 998 beds within KalyaniMunicipal areas; and

2. Diamond Harbour : DiamondHarbour Sub-Divisional Hospital(Microwave) covering 200 beds withinDiamond Harbour Municipal areas.


Segregation of Biomedical Waste

Properly segregated incinerable wastes kept inyellow coloured bag

Properly segregated Autoclavable wastes keptin blue coloured bag

General wastes of health care unit kept in black coloured bag

Autoclave installed at JNM Hospital-Kalyani under WBHSDP, HealthDepartment, Government of West Bengal for treatment

of non-anatomical bio-medical waste

Electrical needle destroyer used formutilation/destruction of used disposable syringes


PLASTIC WPLASTIC WPLASTIC WPLASTIC WPLASTIC WASTE MANAASTE MANAASTE MANAASTE MANAASTE MANAGEMENTGEMENTGEMENTGEMENTGEMENTPlastic waste is a significant contributor to non-biodegradable disposables. Of the total quantumof one lakh tones of waste generated everydayin India, about 4 per cent comprise of plasticwaste. Due to its non-biodegradable nature, wasteplastic poses threat to human health and causesirreparable damage to the environment. Discardedplastic also hinders the natural aeration processof surface water bodies, choke municipal sewerlines, block storm water drains and also clogs thebar-screens of sewage treatment plants. Theyinterfere with various agricultural operations andprevent natural recharge of groundwater.Consumption of food wrapped in colouredplastics also has adverse health effects. Death ofdomestic animals has been reported fromingestion of littered plastic carry bags. Further, itcauses landslide in the hills.

For effective and scientific management of plasticwaste, the Ministry of Environment and Forests,Government of India notified the RecycledPlastics Manufacture and Usage Rules, 1999. TheRules were amended in 2003. Under the

Gauge Meter is used for measuring the thicknessof plastic carry bags

provisions of the Rules, there existed a country-wide ban on the manufacture, use and sale ofplastic carry bags below 20 microns thickness since2002. Through a circular issued in 2007, theWBPCB has made the same restriction (relatedto size and thickness of plastic carry bags) morestringent in order to discourage the overall useof plastic carry bags. The idea is simple. Thebigger and expensive bags would automaticallybe used less by consumers due to their highercosts, and also encourage rag-pickers to retrievetem from garbage in view of higher resale value.

Under the provisions of Section 33A of the Water(Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974,Section 31A of the Air (Prevention and Controlof Pollution) Act, 1981 as well as the RecycledPlastics Rules, the Board introduced a series oflegal restrictions from time to time. The Boardregularly ensures the enforcement of the legalrestrictions, as given below.

All kinds of plastic carry bags are banned inthe ecologically sensitive areas of the state likethe entire forest area of the state includingSundarban, Coastal Regulation Zone areas, hillyareas of Darjeeling district, Siliguri Subdivisionand the area under Siliguri MunicipalCorporation situated in Jalpaiguri district.

A total of 40 heritage/tourist sites in the statehave been declared as ‘Plastic Carry Bag FreeZones’. During 2006-2007, the latest additionto this list was Santragachi Lake (Jheel)extending up to five metres from the highestwater line. The WBPCB issued this directionon February 7, 2007.

Plastic carry bags are also banned in allgovernment buildings of West Bengal(including Writers’ Buildings, Kolkata ) andcampus of Viswa Bharati Viswa Vidyalaya,areas under Sriniketan-SantiniketanDevelopment Authority and BolpurMunicipality in Birbhum district of the state.

The use, manufacture and storage of plasticcarry bags have been banned within 50 metresof both sides of river Ganga from DiamondHarbour to Malda.

waste waste inventory west... · phase-i and installation of incinerator is under phase-ii. the...

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