Policy Brief

Assessing the Economic Viability and Environmental Benefits of Treating Market Waste Using Anaerobic Digestion: A Case Study of Koyambedu Market in Chennai, India

27 Jun 2025
| Ms Shweta Gautam
| Ms Videesha Velijala

There is significant potential to increase waste diversion in India, which can extend the lifespan of disposal sites, advance a circular economy, reduce emissions, and improve air quality and public health.

Sustainable Organic Waste Management : A Playbook for Lucknow, India

23 Sep 2024
| Ms Shweta Gautam
| Ms. Videesha Velijala

In 2020, global municipal solid waste (MSW) generation reached 2.24 billion tonnes, a figure projected to rise to 3.88 billion tonnes by 2050. This increase will be largely driven by the fastest-growing regions, including sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East, where waste levels are expected to double or even triple.

Harnessing the Potential of Bio-Resources to Produce Low Carbon Bio-Hydrogen

08 Jun 2023
| Dr Vibha Dhawan
| Dr Sanjukta Subudhi
| Mr Jayant Sinha
| Dr Divyesh Arora

Plastic Waste Management: Turning Challenges into Opportunities

02 Dec 2020
| Dr Suneel Pandey
| Mr Sourabh Manuja

Plastics not only are enduring, lightweight, and available at low prices, but also have very good thermal and electrical insulation properties. The versatile properties of various plastic polymers— being water-resistant, non-porous, ductile and malleable—make them suitable for manufacturing a wide range of products that also bring medical and technological advances in our modern society.

G20 Circular Carbon Economy: Fostering Circularity in Plastics

27 Oct 2020
| Dr Shilpi Kapur
| Mr Souvik Bhattacharjya
| Ms Rachel A. Meidl

Fostering circularity in plastic use is an effective way to reduce contamination of marine and coastal environments with plastics and man-made debris. However, there are many challenges down this path.

Nutrient pollution in the South Asia Seas (SAS)

03 Dec 2019
| Ms Mrinal Mathur

Anthropogenic activities like (i) agriculture fertilisers, (ii) coastal pisciculture, (i) sewage discharge, (iv) industrial activity, (v) burning fossil fuels and (vi) effluents from ports increase nutrients in surface water and seas. Nitrate pollution is largely caused by agriculture run-off, discharge from industry and manure or sewage. Phosphate pollution is tied to improper treatment of detergents in wastewater and from agro-fertilisers. These land-based pollutants make their way to coastal waters through networks of rivers and streams and cause nutrient pollution in the marine environment.

Discussion Paper on Faecal Sludge Management in Urban India: Policies, Practices, and Possibilities

09 Dec 2016
| Dr Syamal Kumar Sarkar
| Dr Girija K Bharat

Urban Sanitation and Need for Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) in India The Government of India has undertaken an ambitious social change endeavour of clean and open defecation free (ODF) India. Sustained efforts in this direction has improved the sanitation scenario in India, which in turn would help in achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 6 of universal and equitable access to safe and aff ordable drinking water and adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all.