Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB): Waste Management & Circular Economy 2025
Maharashtra is India’s industrial and financial powerhouse, contributing nearly 15% of the nation’s GDP. With rapid
urbanization, rising consumption, and booming industries, waste management has become one of the state’s most critical
environmental and economic challenges. The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) plays a central role in regulating,
monitoring, and innovating sustainable waste management solutions while promoting a circular economy vision.
1. Hazardous Waste Management
Hazardous waste includes flammable, toxic, corrosive, and reactive materials generated from industries such as
pharmaceuticals, textiles, refineries, dyes, paints, and chemicals. Maharashtra produces over 1.5 million metric tons
annually, making it one of the largest generators in India.
Challenges
- Illegal dumping in rivers and open lands in industrial clusters like Tarapur and Taloja.
- Lack of awareness among small-scale industries.
- Limited Common Hazardous Waste Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facilities (CHWTSDFs).
Global Best Practices
Japan and Germany have adopted a “polluter pays” system and strict traceability for hazardous waste. Maharashtra is now
adopting GPS-based tracking of waste vehicles and barcoding of hazardous waste drums.
highlighting the urgent need for expansion.
2. Biomedical Waste Management
With over 75,000 healthcare establishments, Maharashtra generates nearly 80 tons of biomedical waste daily. Biomedical
waste includes contaminated syringes, bandages, body fluids, expired medicines, and laboratory samples.
Case Study: Mumbai & Pune
During COVID-19, biomedical waste increased by 30–40%. MPCB partnered with incineration facilities in Mumbai and Pune to
handle the surge, ensuring strict segregation at source.
| Category | Disposal Method |
|---|---|
| Sharps (needles, syringes) | Autoclaving, shredding, then incineration |
| Soiled waste | Incineration or deep burial (rural areas) |
| Pharmaceutical waste | Secured landfills |
3. Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)
Maharashtra generates 26,820 tons of MSW per day. Mumbai alone contributes nearly 9,500 tons daily. Unscientific dumping
leads to landfill fires, groundwater contamination, and air pollution.
Smart City Approaches
Pune adopted a public-private partnership with SWaCH, a cooperative of waste pickers, ensuring door-to-door collection
and segregation at source. Mumbai is shifting toward biomethanation and waste-to-energy plants.
4. Plastic Waste Management
Maharashtra imposed one of India’s strictest plastic bans in 2018. Despite this, single-use plastic continues to leak
into landfills and oceans.
Recycling Startups
Startups like Lucro Plastecycle and Banyan Nation are collaborating with FMCG companies to recycle packaging. MPCB
encourages Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for plastic producers.
5. E-Waste Management
With Pune and Mumbai being major IT hubs, Maharashtra generates 2,00,000 metric tons of e-waste annually. Informal
recyclers dominate the sector, often using unsafe methods.
Global Lesson
Singapore uses a centralized e-waste collection network. Maharashtra is piloting a similar model through authorized
recyclers in Navi Mumbai and Pune.
6. Fly Ash Utilization
Thermal power plants generate millions of tons of fly ash annually. Instead of landfilling, fly ash can be used in
cement, bricks, and road construction.
7. Battery Waste Management
With the EV revolution, Maharashtra faces growing challenges of lithium-ion battery waste. Lead-acid batteries are
already regulated, but lithium-ion needs specialized recycling.
Case Study
Tata Chemicals in Pune is piloting a lithium-ion recycling plant, extracting valuable cobalt, nickel, and lithium for
reuse.
8. Construction & Demolition (C&D) Waste
Metro projects, highways, and urbanization generate millions of tons of C&D waste. Currently, much of it ends up in
landfills.
| C&D Waste Type | Recycling Potential |
|---|---|
| Concrete | Recycled aggregates for road base |
| Bricks | Crushed for new bricks |
| Wood | Processed into particle boards |
9. Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs)
Maharashtra has 27 CETPs serving small-scale industries. However, many face under-capacity and poor maintenance.
Example
Taloja CETP has been upgraded with advanced membrane technology, reducing chemical oxygen demand (COD) in effluents by
over 60%.
10. End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs)
India’s Vehicle Scrappage Policy has boosted ELV recycling. Maharashtra, with its large auto sector, is setting up
authorized scrapping centers.
Opportunity
ELV recycling can recover steel, aluminum, plastics, and rare earth metals, promoting a true circular economy.
Transition to a Circular Economy
MPCB’s 2025 vision emphasizes circularity – designing out waste and regenerating natural systems. This includes:
- Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) – Producers remain responsible for post-consumer waste.
- Green Jobs – Formalizing waste pickers and creating recycling industry jobs.
- Carbon Credits – Encouraging industries to earn credits through sustainable practices.
- Financing Green Startups – Incentives for circular economy entrepreneurs.
Vision 2030 Roadmap
- Achieve 100% segregation at source across Maharashtra cities.
- Ensure 100% fly ash and biomedical waste utilization.
- Double the number of CETPs with advanced treatment technologies.
- Establish e-waste and battery recycling hubs in every major city.
- Formalize 1 million waste pickers into recognized green jobs.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A: MPCB regulates, monitors, and enforces environmental laws, ensuring industries and municipalities handle waste sustainably.
A: Fines up to ₹1 lakh and closure of industries are possible under MPCB rules.
A: By practicing segregation at source, composting wet waste, and returning e-waste to authorized recyclers.
A: A policy that makes producers accountable for post-consumer waste, especially plastics and electronics.
A: Yes, several startups recycle plastics, batteries, and e-waste with MPCB support.
A: Deep burial pits are used, as incineration facilities are limited.
A: By mandating its use in cement, bricks, and road construction.
A: Single-use plastic is banned, but enforcement remains challenging; EPR policies aim to strengthen compliance.
A: Crushed into aggregates for road base, used in bricks, or repurposed into new construction materials.
A: Common Effluent Treatment Plants treat wastewater from industrial clusters before discharge.
A: By setting up specialized recycling hubs in Pune and Nagpur.
A: It is creating new scrappage centers, boosting steel recovery and reducing pollution.
A: They are crucial in segregation and collection; formalization gives them social security and fair wages.
A: Achieve 100% segregation at source in all urban areas.
A: By adopting renewable energy, recycling waste, and reducing emissions.
A: Through GPS-enabled tracking of hazardous waste vehicles.
A: Use of AI-driven sorting and robotic dismantling of electronic components.
A: By offering subsidies, technical guidance, and linking them with producer responsibility organizations.
A: Pune (segregation & waste picker integration) and Mumbai (biomethanation plants).
A: Managing the growing volume of plastic and electronic waste while ensuring enforcement at grassroots levels.