
“If the earth was an apartment, we wouldn’t be getting our security deposit back.”- Jim Shubert
“There is no such thing as ‘away’. When we throw anything away it must go somewhere.”- Annie Leonard
Abstract
Urbanization, a topic that has gained substantial momentum, thanks to the reforms era that led to Industrialization and transformation of the traditional societies into industrially upgraded ones. Besides Urbanization, Waste Management has also become a topic of great importance. If the generated wastes are not disposed of or managed carefully, they’ll pollute the environment in every aspect. This will ultimately harm the lives of all living species on Earth. This paper interrogates the issue of how urbanization is affecting solid waste generation in the context of fifteen industrially advanced states of India. Although there is ample space for conducting further research, for the sake of simplicity and time constraints, the research is being kept until the year 2021. Finally, how the issue of solid waste generation has changed between the pre-pandemic and post-pandemic years has also been taken up and discussed.
Keywords: Industrialization, Urbanization, Waste Management, Pandemic Era, Degradation.
Introduction
Urbanization refers to the movement of population from rural areas to their urban counterparts, which causes a shift in population distribution and accelerates the pace of creation of urban societies with social institutions. These societies are characterized by diversity, complexity, class consciousness, and a progressive mindset, accompanied by the prevalence of secondary relationships over joint family systems. Urbanization results in changes in various aspects and forms of life, i.e., the concept of “demonstration effect” plays a vital role that highlights dressing habits, adoption of modern technologies, women’s roles, and infrastructure growth, all of which contribute to a huge waste generation. Key drivers of urbanization enlist- modernization, employment opportunities, industrialization, and education. Waste generation is classified into several types: solid waste (e.g., household and kitchen waste), liquid waste (e.g., industrial water), plastic waste (e.g., bags), metal waste (e.g., scrap metal), and e-waste (e.g., discarded electronics). Waste can be either biodegradable (wet) or non-biodegradable (dry), with rural areas predominantly producing biodegradable waste and urban areas generating more non-biodegradable waste. To manage waste effectively, the paper emphasizes the 4Rs: Refuse unnecessary items, Reduce waste generation, Reuse goods, and Recycle materials. Other principles envelope segregating waste at the source and treating it in a decentralized manner. Sustainable development goals should be highly adopted to minimize waste generation and make the efficient use of natural resources. To reduce the amount of waste, individuals should stay aware about waste management practices, cut back on consumption, circumvent plastic, separate waste for proper disposal, compost organic waste, and abstain from burning garbage. The paper concludes by stressing the responsibility of citizens to follow these practices to safeguard the environment and ensure a hygienic future for the up-coming generations.
Literature Review
The article mentions various perspectives on the ever-hiking issue of solid waste management in India due to urbanization, population growth, and rising disposable incomes. The following literatures highlight the succeeding points-
Annirvinna, Sharma et al. (2021) emphasize that India, being one of the top 10 waste-generating countries, faces significant challenges in managing waste in their urban counterparts and also focuses on the importance of source segregation, proper waste collection, and the involvement of stakeholders to improve waste management. The need for providing proper training to municipal waste collectors and addressing income inequality, which are the needs of the hour, are also highlighted. The authors suggest decentralizing waste management and inclusion of the informal sector as well. Singh, Farswan et al. associate urban agglomeration with waste generation and promote an Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) system. They have asked for decentralized management, policy enforcement, and the inclusion of informal sectors, targetting for sustainable development accompanied by resource recovery from the hip of waste. Banerjee, Ghosh et al. (2019) stress on the environmental impact of municipal and e-wastes. They discuss various waste management techniques, like- composting, incineration, and pyrolysis, accompanied by advocation for public awareness and effective waste management systems. Jain and Pant (2019) has highlighted the ways of managing solid waste in the Himalayan regions, where low population density and small towns have posed lesser challenges upon the system in this regard. They recommend the use of simpler technologies – aerobic composting, especially for small towns and special solutions for tourist-related waste in the region. Agarwal, Chaudhury, and Singh (2015) interrogates India’s waste management policies and practices, categorizing waste into various types like- solid, e-waste, plastic, nuclear waste. They encourage for source segregation, involvement of informal sectors, and societal sensitization. They also emphasize the importance of 4Rs. Overall, the articles highlight that proper waste management system is important for the ever-increasing waste that envelopes the processes of waste segregation at source, advanced treatment technologies, involvement of stakeholders, and others, that generate various employment opportunities as well that ultimately fosters economic growth.
Objectives
This paper has three objectives:
- To check how Urbanization is affecting Solid Waste Generation in the top 15 industrially advanced states of India in the last ten decades;
- To check how Urbanization and Industrialization are over-determining each other in the sense that they are causing and affecting each other and how both of them are leading to solid waste generation over the years;
- To check how solid waste generation has changed in the post-pandemic period in comparison to the pre-pandemic era.
Methodology
The methodology of this article involves the following important points-
- The period taken under consideration is the last 10 years i.e., pre-pandemic and post-pandemic era. The main purpose of taking this period is to study the impact of Covid-19 on solid waste generation in 15 industrially advanced states of India.
- Quantitative research has been conducted by taking the help of secondary data from reliable government sources like- indiastat.com, rbi database and many more. Panel regression analysis has been carried out.
- For the sake of simplicity of the paper, the research has been limited upto the year 2021. There lies much space for improvement of the research paper which will be carried out in the future days.
Variable Analysis
The following variables are analyzed-
- Solid Waste Generated: This is considered to be the dependent variable of this analysis. With the rising urbanization all around, solid waste generation has also risen.

- Literacy Rate: Any sort of bad habit/custom can be rectified if proper education/demonstrations/advertisements get imparted to people belonging to all the sections of the society thereby making them aware about the fact.

- Urban Below Poverty Level: As people residing below the poverty level in urban areas increase, waste generation increases too.

- Proportion of Urban Population: If this proportion rises over the years, the pressure on land as well as on all the facilities increases too. Finally, this also leads to the generation of solid waste in urban areas.

Regression Analysis and Interpretation
The regression model is given below:
(PSWG)it = – α + β1(LR)it + β2(UBPL)it + β3(PUP)it + €it; where,
PSWG= Per Capita Solid Waste Generated,
LR= Literacy Rate,
UBPL= Urban Below Poverty Level,
PUP= Proportion of Urban Population,
€= Random Disturbance Term
VARIABLES | COEFFICIENTS | STANDARD ERROR | P>│t│ |
LR | .7181222 | 1.145939 | 0.531 |
UBPL | .1575555 | .0899828 | 0.080* |
PUP | .6489236 | .3515251 | 0.065* |
CONSTANT | -4.449878 | 2.030806 | 0.028 |
Number of observations: 113
R2: 0.2182
Prob>Chi2: 0.0926
*p<0.10
**p<0.05
***p<0.01
Going by the result of the Hausman Test, where the value of Prob>Chi2 = 0.7660, we have considered the outcome of the Random Effect Model (REM). Both Urban Below Poverty Level (UBPL) and Proportion of Urban Population (PUP) are found to be significant at 10% level of significance. It is evident that with the rise of people who reside below the poverty line in urban areas/towns, there is more and more generation of solid waste. Growth of the BPL people in urban areas make them slum dwellers due to the absence of necessary as well as sufficient infrastructures to host the upsurging population that resides below the poverty level. Similarly, more urban population creates pressure on land as well as job opportunities. Job opportunities are lesser in front of the entire urban population. This in turn raises the poverty level which is also a cause as well as source of solid waste generation in the modern urban societies. Other things remaining the same, if UBPL rises by 1%, the rate of PSWG will also go up by 15.76% on an average. While, if PUP hikes by 1%, the rate of PSWG will also accelerate by 64.89%, keeping other things the same.
Pre-Pandemic vs Post-Pandemic Situation
The paper explores the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on solid waste generation, thereupon comparing the pre-pandemic and post-pandemic periods. It highlights how the pandemic situation, particularly in developing nations like India, disrupted everyday lives and led to a downfall in solid waste generation in 2021 compared to pre-pandemic levels. Several factors have contributed to this downfall:

- Increased Awareness: People became aware of the 4Rs and their positive environmental impact.
- Waste Segregation: More individuals adopted waste segregation practices (on the basis of wet and dry), that facilitated more efficient waste management.
- Economic Impact: The pandemic caused significant economic depressions, whose outcome involved- the shutdown of factories, workers getting migrated, and thereby, reduction in production which ultimately reduced the amount of waste generated.
Conclusion
The paper concludes that solid waste generation has significantly increased because of urbanization and industrialization. Waste should not be discarded carelessly; instead, it should be treated well for getting reused. Depending upon its use, a commodity can be considered a waste or a valuable. Employing various waste management techniques proposed by the government and other institutions, environment can be safeguarded and well-protected. Additionally, the moto of sustainable development should never be ignored as it not only manages the requirements of the present generation but also that of the generations to come, thereby, fostering a healthier economy. The paper also contains a critique as it highlights the fact that “Indian Economic Policies are good in pen and paper but not in reality”. This gap can only be minimized upon collective efforts, where both the authorities and the natives join hands to safeguard our planet Earth, thereupon getting forwarded in the path of progress.
References
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- Agarwal R, Chaudhury M, Singh J (2015), “Waste Management Initiatives In India For Human Well Being (ISSN: 1857-7881 (Print) e-ISSN 1857-7431)”, European Scientific Journal; Retrieved on: 28th June, 2023.
- Akhil S, Anuj N.K, et al., “Solid Waste Management in Urban India”, Fields of View; Retrieved on: 28th June, 2023.
- Annirvinna C, Sharma S, Sharma S, Saini Y (2021), “Status of Solid Waste Management in India: Problems and Perspectives (ISSN 0971-765X)”; pp. (S295-S301), Retrieved on: 25th June, 2023.
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