ISSN (Print) - 0012-9976 | ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846

Waste ManagementSubscribe to Waste Management

Community Capital

Seelampur in north-east Delhi is one of the largest e-waste markets in India. Featured in numerous non-governmental organisation reports and journalistic accounts, mainly to highlight the environmental perils of informal e-waste dismantling, the e-waste market’s spatial history and underlying social relations have never been systematically studied. Combining 10 months of ethnographic fieldwork in 2021–22 with a quantitative primary survey of 115 traders in Seelampur, this paper offers new insights on the caste segmentation of commerce in urban India and, specifically, the role of kin networks and “community capital” in consolidating Seelampur’s status as a key node within India’s e-waste economy.

Village, Waste and Life: A Visual Perspective of Rural Manipur?

Waste of all kinds is now a big menace in the village ecosystem of Manipur. The state of Manipur is considered one of the most underdeveloped states of India, but being a global periphery, it has become one of the dumping yards for the global market. As global consumerism invades the village world, there has been excessive production of non-biodegradable solid waste from village households. With the rupture of the traditional waste disposal mechanism and the lack of a proper management system, waste invades the natural environment. The wastes are carried down further through the rivers to dump into the Loktak lake. Instead of taking up proper plans to manage the wastes, the state-imposed restrictions on the activities in and around the lake; dispossess the livelihood of the small fishing community that thrives in the lake.

Electricity Generation from Bio Pellets

This article discusses the possibilities of using agricultural residues in power generation. It traces the evolution of the use of bio pellets in thermal power plants and the pilot projects implemented by the National Thermal Power Corporation that led to the successful roll-out of the new technology. Finally, it enumerates the advantages and disadvantages of using bio pellets and the emerging challenges.

Neglect of Household Biomedical Waste

While India has had a biomedical waste management rule since 1998, which was modified for ease in 2016, household biomedical waste has been neglected. Increased lifespan, rise of non-communicable diseases, the growing buying power, and better access to healthcare have resulted in the increased generation of household biomedical waste. This poses serious challenges to a frail public health system. This growing problem needs to be tackled by acknowledging it, introducing guidelines, and decentralising solutions, including facilitating recycling.

How Has Municipal Red-Tape Led to Waste Being Mismanaged in Bengaluru?

Bengaluru has been depending on ad-hoc service providers to meet its waste management requirements, which has allowed "garbage mafias" to flourish.
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