Analysis of the Waste material in India

The materials that can be retrieved from the Indian municipal solid waste stream are: –

1. Paper: 15% of waste materials are paper that needs to be retrieved from the waste stream for recycling purposes such as newspapers, cardboard, and other paper-based products.
2. Plastics: A significant component retrieved from the waste stream is plastic waste such as PET bottles, HDPE containers, and plastic bags.
3. Metals: Aluminium, steel, and other non-ferrous metals from the waste stream can be recycled too.
4. Glass: Bottles, glass containers, and other glass products must be retrieved for recycling purposes that involve melting down the glass to create new products.
5. Rubber and Leather: It is not a common product to be recovered from municipal waste streams.
6. Textiles: Old clothes, fabric scraps, and other textile products that need to be recycled or repurposed.
7. Other Materials: Electronic-waste such as discarded electronic devices, batteries, and even some household medical waste can also be recovered.

Visual Analysis of the Waste Material

The chart for the waste material recovered from the India Municipal solid waste stream (MSW): –

Let’s look at the visualization of each of the waste materials recovered from India in 2023,

The chart for the e-waste in 2018: –

Sources:- Statista