Context and Rationale
India’s largest landfills have transformed from waste repositories into environmental concerns, towering monuments to the waste crisis. The decomposing waste produces significant methane emissions, a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than Co2 and the cause of recurring fires. These massive dumps contribute to both global warming and air pollution and are a public health challenge.

The Ghazipur landfill in Delhi stands nearly as tall as the Qutub Minar; Deonar in Mumbai accounts for 9% of total accumulated waste in the country by itself. With the Swachh Bharat Mission target nearing in 2026, 50% of the dumpsite waste has yet to be cleared across the country. The largest cities face significant challenges with thousands of tons of unprocessed waste every day, adding to already burdened systems. Without intervention, they might worsen, demanding innovative solutions and coordinated action. Better waste management is possible, and some cities like Indore and Pune have shown the way forward.

Addressing this crisis requires integrated approaches that tackle both waste reduction and emissions control, bringing together technical expertise, policy innovation, and economic mechanisms. This discussion forum aims to bring diverse stakeholders to discuss solutions, highlight new developments and envision a new way for India to manage its waste.

Conference Objectives:

This conference aims to bring together government officials, researchers, technology experts, and industry stakeholders to address critical challenges in urban waste management. It will examine the scale of India’s waste crisis, focusing on unmanaged landfills’ environmental, health, and social costs and their contribution to methane emissions. Discussions will explore various remediation strategies, such as biomining, landfill diversion, and methane capture, while assessing their financial and policy viability.

Another key objective is to leverage data and economic tools to enhance waste management practices. The workshop will highlight the role of satellite-based monitoring, localized sensors, and carbon markets in improving verification, tracking methane emissions, and creating incentives for waste reduction. Additionally, it will identify governance, financial, and operational barriers that hinder effective waste sector management and explore actionable policy solutions.

For any queries related to the conference, Mr. Suyash Nandgaonkar at suyashn@uchicagotrust.org.

For more details, explore the event Agenda and Speaker Bios.