Saahas' recommends waste management focus in Indian budget.

1. BUDGET 2015: Saahas Recommends
• A 5-7 year Tax Holiday for Social Enterprises in Waste
Management.
• Lower Interest Rates for Waste Management Projects that have
Social and Environmental Benefits.
• Reconsider Taxation Policy for Compost and Recycled Products
• Shift in Focus from Waste to Energy to Waste to Resources.
• Set Targets to Increase Resource Efficiency or Productivity
• Set Targets to Increase Recycling and Ban Products that cannot
be Recycled
• Set Targets to Reduce and Eliminate Land filled Waste.
To Achieve These
• Focus on Implementation of Waste Segregation at Source
• Encourage the setting up of Decentralised Waste management
Centres

2. Urban India generates around 1.3 lakh tons of waste every day. Waste management is a
serious challenge the nation faces. Growing piles of waste on our streets are the cause
several health and environmental issues. Unfortunately it is the poorer segments of
society that are worst affected by this mismanagement of waste.
‘Waste Concern’, a Bangladesh based social enterprise that seeks to promote
social business concepts throughout Asia to solve challenges like this believes
that regulatory support is essential when your workforce comprises of low-
income groups and products too target low income groups.
A tax holiday for social enterprises in the field of and lower rates of interest
for organizations taking up waste management projects which have
considerable social and environmental benefits can help motivate the sector.
(Source: http://reports.weforum.org/social-innovation-2013/waste-concern/).
A tax holiday and lower rates of
interest - Why?

3. Review Taxation Policy for Compost
and Recycled Products - Why?
•Tax breaks for recycled products can help reduce costs .
•Lower taxation can ensure competitive pricing and thereby higher sales.
•Incentive to segregate waste at source and thereby increase resource recovery .
•Tax removal on compost can give a boost to organic farming.

4. Waste to Energy encourages one-way flow of material in a planet with finite resources.
The focus of waste management is now on increasing resource efficiency.
Shift in Focus from Waste to Energy to
Waste to Resources – Why ?
A high level team of the European Resource Efficiency Platform stated that it is essential
to “develop clear resource productivity targets and resource efficiency indicators,
eliminating environmentally harmful subsidies, and integrating current and future
resource scarcities coherently into wider policy areas”
As per this, European targets include,
•70% target rate for recycling municipal waste by 2030
•80% recycling of packaging waste by 2030
•proposed to ban recyclable materials from going to landfill by 2025
•Aim for the phasing out of landfill by 2030.
•Reduce food waste generation of 30% by 2015
• And measures to reduce marine litter.
India would certainly benefit with specific targets like these.
Set specific targets

5. Focus on Waste Generation & Implement Waste
Segregation at Source
Enforcement of the Municipal Solid Waste Management and Handling Rules outlined by
the Supreme Court in India can help the nation’s waste.
Adopt the 2 bin 1 bag model to segregate waste at source

6. Encourage the setting up of Decentralised Waste
management Centres
A Study Published in 2002 by H.N.Chanakya, T.V.Ramachandra, Swethmala Centre for Sustainable
Technologies, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India describes
“The decentralised system with primary segregation at source, resource recovery
system and a biomethanation plant as a more economically sustainable waste
management model.”
The reduction of carbon footprint, per ton, the study says could be around 6.24kgs.
The system could also generate around 7000 jobs in the city.
The study also says:
“ The treatment of waste near the point of generation returns
many value added products locally like gas for domestic and
commercial use in the locality, vermi-compost or compost for
local use, recycled plastic for local use such as in laying roads
etc. It will greatly increase trade and social responsibility
towards waste in the area.
Also,
“With some modifications in the way waste is collected, it is
possible to run decentralised, ward wise or smaller systems
that are more sustainable (environmentally, economically and
socially.) Kasa Rasa: Saahas’ Decentralised Waste Management System