Aditi Ramola
Working Group Landfill Coordinator
The ISWA Working Group on Landfill and the Task Force on Closing Dumpsites (TFCD) organized a one-day workshop on Landfill Management and Closure of Dumpsites in Jaipur on the 13th of March. The event was hosted at Poornima University and supported by the Institute of Chartered Waste Managers (ICWM). Following a welcome by Dr. Vivek Agrawal Chairman of ICWM, Dr. James Law, Chair of the ISWA WG on Landfills and also the TFCD, introduced the participants to the difference between an open dumpsite and a functioning landfill, which refers to the planning, operation, and maintenance of landfill sites, which are designated areas for the disposal of solid waste. He emphasised that effective landfill management is essential for minimizing the environmental impact of landfills, including the emission of greenhouse gases, contamination of soil and water, and the production of unpleasant odours and pests. Mr. Rene Rosendal, Vice-Chair of the ISWA Landfill WG spoke about landfill mining operations in Denmark and elaborated upon the legislation in the EU.
Mr. Nagesh Prabhu, Co-Founder & Director, Zigma of Blue Planet Environmental Solutions, spoke on dumpsite remediation and bio-mining projects in India. He presented several successful case studies from across the country and explained in detail the processes and standards that they are following during biomining. Prof. Sahadat Hossain, from the Solid Waste Institute for Sustainability at the University of Texas at Arlington, spoke about the potential reuse of recycled materials for a circular economy. He presented the projects that he and his team are carrying out using recycled plastics to bolster road slopes in the US. Mr. Valentin Foltescu, from UNEPs Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) spoke about the Methane Reduction Potential of the Waste Sector. He stressed that solving the challenge of open burning and open dumping of waste and plastic pollution can increase action against climate change. Dr. Poonam Ahluwalia, Senior Municipal Engineer at the World Bank representing the WB and IFC at the event, elaborated upon ongoing projects in India. The presentations were followed by a panel discussion with the expert group. ISWA Technical Director, Ms. Aditi Ramola, gave the closing remarks and concluded the session.
Following the workshop, participants visited the 100-acre Sewapura dumpsite about 20 kilometres North of Jaipur. The Sewapura dumpsite is located in a gram panchayat (village) of Jaipur District’s Amer tehsil. The Jaipur Municipal Corporation has been dumping the city’s garbage in the area for the last several years. 1400 metric tonne of waste is generated in Jaipur everyday of which 700 metric tonnes of mixed waste is sent to the Sewapura dumpsite area, out of which 250 metric tonnes is sent to a compost plant facility located adjacent to the dumpsite and the rest of the daily waste goes to the dumpsite.
On the 2nd of May the Working Group and TFCD will have their WG meeting at the IFC offices in Washington DC where they will present the India workshop findings and also discuss the possible closure of the Sewapura dumpsite as there is strong political will to do so. ISWA’s Landfill WG and Task Force on Closing Dumpsites will continue to engage with Jaipur on moving up the waste hierarchy.
For more information about the working group and activities, please contact:
Aditi Ramola – Working Group Coordinator – aramola@iswa.org
