A report was submitted to the National Green Tribunal on April 15, 2025, by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on the monitoring and compliance of Waste to Energy (WTE) incinerators in the country. The report has shown that in none of the 21 WTE facilities that incinerate Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), all the emission criteria mandated in the Solid Waste Management rules, 2016, are being monitored. In particular, the most dangerous chemicals emitted from waste-to-energy facilities, including dioxins, furans, and heavy metals, were not monitored properly.
This development comes in the light of a new category of industries introduced by the CPCB called the “blue category” for industries that provide “essential environmental services”. Ironically, WTE industries, which were categorised as “red” and having a Pollution Index (PI) of 97.6, have now been moved to the “blue” category to give them an additional consent to operate for two years. The CPCB’s notification also updated the PI score used for classifying industries into white, green, orange, and red categories. Earlier, industries with a score of 60 points or higher were categorised as red, while now it has been revised to a PI of 80 or higher. According to the notification, the revisions were made after receiving 161 representations. These representations were majorly dominated by industry and industry associations, with just 1% of representations coming from civil society organisations. By changing the goalpost of the classification of industrial pollution to benefit the industries, even severely polluting industries will now attract less monitoring and compliance.
The contradictions between the government’s climate and environmental commitments and its continued dilution of environmental laws exacerbate the environmental and climate crises.
— Energy Team at CFA
Read the full issue here: Energy Matters | April 2025