Financial Feasibility and Carbon Impact of Waste To Energy Units in India

What is it about?

In this research article, we have analysed the carbon emissions of newly setup incineration based Waste-To-Energy plants and compared them to landfilling of waste, which is the prevalant practice of waste management in India. This allows us to verify if Incineration in WtE plants is better alternative to landfilling as a waste management practice, when it comes to Greenhouse gas emissions. Further we have conducted a financial feasibibility analysis of these plants, to check if they are a profitable business venture in the long term.

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Photo by Jason Blackeye on Unsplash

Photo by Jason Blackeye on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Increasing Municipal Solid Waste is a universal problem in developing nations. Especially India, where hazardous and conventional methods of waste management like open burning and unsegregated landfilling is prevalant. With increasing concern of global warming, climate change and environmental pollution, better MSW management is the need of the hour. In recent years, Waste To Energy plants have been set up in Delhi, India and dozens more will be installed across India in this decade. This accelerated push for WtE begs the question, if they are indeed superior to landfilling and other traditional methods, when incineration is the preferred method for energy generation in these units. This study verifies the hypothesis, that WtE plants are indeed a superior method of MSW management, in environmental and economic terms.