India – Waste Management
Waste Solutions for a Circular Economy in India
Supporting cities to transform and scale waste-to-energy as climate change mitigation solution.
Context
Currently, the Indian urban population generates approximately 62 million tonnes of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) per year. Due to rapid urbanisation, this number is expected to rise to 165 million by 2030. Consequently, it is estimated that annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from MSW will double by 2030, reaching 41 million tCO2e. The main barriers to the low-carbon transformation of the waste sector include missing waste segregation at the source, insufficient management and technical capacities, restricted financing opportunities, and limited regulation enforcement.
In response, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) jointly developed a national Advisory on Compressed Biogas (CBG) plants based on municipal solid waste. The advisory provides Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), state agencies, and private sector actors with technical, regulatory, financial, and institutional guidance for planning and implementing waste-to-energy projects that support sustainable urban development and climate goals.
One highlight from 2025
The project supported the development and launch of India’s first national Advisory on Municipal Solid Waste-based CBG plants, officially released at the 2025 Swachh Survekshan in the presence of the Hon’ble Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs.
The advisory established a standardized national framework for implementing CBG projects, including guidance on
- feedstock segregation and quality,
- public-private partnership and concession models,
- financing structures, long-term contracts, gas off-take arrangements, and
- operational performance monitoring.
By providing practical templates and implementation guidance, the advisory is enabling ULBs across India to plan and scale low-carbon waste-to-energy facilities more efficiently, reducing transaction costs and accelerating replication across cities.
The initiative also supports the priorities of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban (SBM-U 2.0) and strengthens the transition from isolated pilot projects to a coordinated, standards-driven national approach for sustainable waste management.
“The city together with the implementation organisation have transformed one of the biggest farmer markets into a 100% single-use plastic free zone.”
Why this matters
This project addresses two interconnected urban challenges in India: the growing burden of municipal solid waste and the need for clean, locally generated energy solutions.
Organic waste in landfills is a major source of methane emissions, a potent GHG that significantly contributes to climate change. By promoting the conversion of municipal organic waste into compressed biogas, the project supports a circular economy approach in which waste becomes a valuable energy resource rather than an environmental liability.
The national advisory provides cities with the practical tools and institutional guidance needed to implement scalable and financially viable waste-to-energy systems, helping reduce landfill dependence, lower GHG emissions, improve urban sanitation, and strengthen energy security.
Importantly, the initiative creates a replicable pathway for cities across India to adopt climate-friendly infrastructure while advancing national sustainability and urban development goals.
