A Mantra for Managing the Global Energy Crisis by Corporates in India
India has been advancing waste-to-energy technologies to manage over 62 million tonnes of annual waste, aiming to reduce landfill reliance and produce renewable energy.
September 18, 2026. By News Bureau
As India is on the growth path to becoming a leading nation globally in terms of industrialisation and infrastructure development with ever growing population, there is a growing concern for huge quantity of waste being generated in our cities on daily basis.
As per some estimates, 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic waste have been produced since 1950, and 79 percent of the waste ends up flooding landfills. In short, the plastic crisis is an alarming global issue. The present infrastructure and systems need to be upgraded to be more effective.
Although waste collection centres are active in various municipalities, the ultimate disposal of waste with waste segregation is always not in line with international standards. Most of the waste in the cities are dumped in suburbs and stacked in landfills time to time and/ or incinerated leading to soil and air pollution in the vicinity affecting the local population.
Waste to Energy:
India has been advancing waste-to-energy (WtE) technologies to manage over 62 million tonnes of annual waste, aiming to reduce landfill reliance and produce renewable energy. Through technologies like incineration and biogas generation, India aims to produce energy while mitigating environmental impact, with potential for up to 2.554 GW of power from municipal solid waste.
Key Aspects of Waste-to-Energy (WtE) in India
• Growing Potential and Waste Generation: India produces over 150,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) daily, expected to rise to 4.5 lakh tonnes per day (TPD) by 2031.
• Technologies Used: WtE projects typically involve incinerating mixed waste for electricity generation, creating RDF (Refuse-Derived Fuel), or producing Bio-CNG.
• Government Support: The waste to energy program of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) provides Central Financial Assistance (CFA) to project developers for biogas and power generation.
• Sustainability Challenges: While WtE reduces waste, it faces challenges regarding the high cost of, and pollution from, burning mixed waste, which can lead to toxic emissions.
Sustainability and Environmental Impact:
• Circular Economy: WtE fits into India's strategy to shift toward a circular economy, reducing reliance on landfills which are significant sources of methane emissions.
• Environmental Concerns: Due to inefficient incineration in some WtE plants poses health risks, including releasing dioxins and heavy ash, necessitating strict environmental compliance.
• Benefits: Despite the challenges, WtE contributes to reducing landfill requirements, recovering resources, and generating power at site.
Over the last few decades, the volume and toxicity of waste being produced in India has been increasing exponentially. A major cause has been the increased use and dispose of more manufactured materials by industrialised societies. Further, rapid growth in human population has been increasing the total waste produced with greater population densities in urban areas, there is also higher concentration of waste. WTE projects are being promoted by government and private entities that stand to benefit from the installation of such WTE plants. WTE plants are designed to burn municipal solid waste as a form of waste processing and sometimes generating electricity. This technology found its way to India after being contested by the people of several countries on grounds ranging from health risks, environment and loss of livelihood. However, many WTE plants have landed into problems like soil, air and water pollution through the release of emissions. Hence, the challenge to implement the best technologies in line with global trends is the need of the hour. The most important point to be followed for waste collection is the segregation of waste into various types at the receiving end. It could be wet or dry waste and separately bio waste.
Plastic waste is large part of waste generation which is being addressed thru EPR for plastics which channelises used plastic into diesel or process oil which can be used in the oil refineries during the process (FCC, hydrocracker, etc) leading to reduction of crude oil, about 80 percent of which is imported in India.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for plastic waste is a regulatory policy making producers, importers, and brand owners (PIBOs) responsible for the entire lifecycle of their plastic packaging. Under India's Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 (2022/2023 amendments), PIBOs must collect, recycle, and meet set targets via a Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) portal, reducing environmental pollution and shifting management costs away from municipalities.
RUCO – Reused Cooking Oil and ULO – Used Lubricating Oil
Like various types of waste being generated in India, cooking oil waste is another area of concern. Most roadside eateries in India use nonstandard oils and that too after multiple cycles of heating and cooling has occurred. Most of the sourcing of these oils is from bigger hotels who sell their used cooking oils to traders at cheaper prices. These used cooking oils end up at the roadside eateries and small hotels which leads to poor health of the consumers. The toxicity of these compounds is associated with several diseases such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, liver diseases, cancer, etc. These used oils have higher polarity than the fresh cooking oil which can be checked by use of handheld, portable polarimeter.
Several properties of oil are altered, and Total Polar Compounds (TPC) are formed when same oil is used in frying. Therefore, it becomes essential to monitor the quality of cooking oil during frying /cooking with a Polarimeter. To safeguard consumer health, FSSAI has fixed a limit for Total Polar Compounds at 25 percent beyond which the cooking oil shall not be used. However, the reading beyond 12 percent can be set as a warning limit for conscious cooking needs.
FSSAI is implementing an EEE Strategy-Education, Enforcement, Ecosystem to divert used cooking oil from the food value chain and to avoid consumption of used cooking oil directly or indirectly. The EEE Strategy approach is designed to ensure good health and welfare for all 148 crore citizens, aiding energy security and climate change mitigation.
There is a need to ensure that the used cooking oil does not enter the food chain and that oil is disposed or used in a sustainable manner. Thus, the Authority launched the RUCO initiative. A network of aggregators has been formed who collect used cooking oils from the manufacturers/FBOs which are then passed on to biodiesel manufacturers and/or soap manufacturers. Biodiesel Association of India have list of empanelled agencies who are authorised by Government to convert used cooking oil to biodiesel in a sustainable manner. McDonald outlets in Mumbai have been recycling their used cooking oils with the help of Biodiesel Association of India approved agencies who convert the used cooking oils into diesel which is ultimately used in house by McDonalds for generating power through DG sets.
Repurpose Used Cooking Oil, an ecosystem that will enable the collection and conversion of used cooking oil to biodiesel. Being one of the largest consumers of cooking oil, India has the potential to recover 220 crore litres of Used Cooking Oil (UCO) for the production of biodiesel. FSSAI is working in partnership with Biodiesel Association of India (BDAI) and the food industry to ensure effective compliance of UCO standards.
There is a need to ensure that the used cooking oil does not enter the food chain and that oil is disposed or used in a sustainable manner. This information should be propagated through various channels of communication so that people are made aware about the hazards of used cooking oil and can maintain better health.
Used Lubricating oils have a high potential to be converted to recycled base oils which can go back to blending of lubricants like engine oil adding to the sustainability chain by reducing emissions from 10 to 30 percent.
The challenge is collection of ULO and reaching the recycling plants across the country who are controlled by PRAI (Petroleum Re-refiners Association of India).
OMCs have already launched engine oils with part recycled base oil sourcing the required oils from re-refiners.
The concern here is that many of the used engine oils from OEM dealerships are finding its way to spurious market including fuels and lubricants.
With the introduction of EPR in ULO, all lubricant manufacturers in India need to necessarily use a percentage of recycled base oils for manufacture of their branded lubricants.
Plastic to Diesel
This is a very novel way for conversion of waste to diesel fuel which is a high value item and finds extensive use in automotives and industry.
Global energy demand projected to grow ~50 percent by 2035
Plastic Waste Challenge: ~280 million tons/year plastic waste generated globally, only ~10 percent recycled; rest ends in landfills, oceans, or incineration.
The basic process is pyrolysis in the presence of suitable catalyst which produces diesel. The challenge is to get the right catalyst which can remove all impurities and give diesel fuel as per the requirement which is up to BS-VI level. The concern with most plastic to diesel plans is the toxic gases which are emitted in the process for which required pollution control measures have to be in place. Segregation of used plastics is another challenge for such plants as the process of segregation is not standardised in India/ neither followed extensively.
On interaction with some of the standard vendors who have successfully designed plants which can produce even BS-VI diesel, it is found that they need corporate and government support for approval and large-scale commercialisation. The current global crisis in the gulf is a reminder to all of us to look into all aspects of sourcing sustainable energy from all available sources including used plastics and waste.
Mission Way forward for Corporates:
Amid concerns over rising energy pressures in the global landscape, sustaining and self-sufficiency are mantras for managing this Global energy crisis by corporates in India. The following initiatives are suggested for progress as way forward.
- Rajesh Nambiar, Retired Executive Director (QC), IOCL
As per some estimates, 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic waste have been produced since 1950, and 79 percent of the waste ends up flooding landfills. In short, the plastic crisis is an alarming global issue. The present infrastructure and systems need to be upgraded to be more effective.
Although waste collection centres are active in various municipalities, the ultimate disposal of waste with waste segregation is always not in line with international standards. Most of the waste in the cities are dumped in suburbs and stacked in landfills time to time and/ or incinerated leading to soil and air pollution in the vicinity affecting the local population.
Waste to Energy:
India has been advancing waste-to-energy (WtE) technologies to manage over 62 million tonnes of annual waste, aiming to reduce landfill reliance and produce renewable energy. Through technologies like incineration and biogas generation, India aims to produce energy while mitigating environmental impact, with potential for up to 2.554 GW of power from municipal solid waste.
Key Aspects of Waste-to-Energy (WtE) in India
• Growing Potential and Waste Generation: India produces over 150,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) daily, expected to rise to 4.5 lakh tonnes per day (TPD) by 2031.
• Technologies Used: WtE projects typically involve incinerating mixed waste for electricity generation, creating RDF (Refuse-Derived Fuel), or producing Bio-CNG.
• Government Support: The waste to energy program of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) provides Central Financial Assistance (CFA) to project developers for biogas and power generation.
• Sustainability Challenges: While WtE reduces waste, it faces challenges regarding the high cost of, and pollution from, burning mixed waste, which can lead to toxic emissions.
Sustainability and Environmental Impact:
• Circular Economy: WtE fits into India's strategy to shift toward a circular economy, reducing reliance on landfills which are significant sources of methane emissions.
• Environmental Concerns: Due to inefficient incineration in some WtE plants poses health risks, including releasing dioxins and heavy ash, necessitating strict environmental compliance.
• Benefits: Despite the challenges, WtE contributes to reducing landfill requirements, recovering resources, and generating power at site.
Over the last few decades, the volume and toxicity of waste being produced in India has been increasing exponentially. A major cause has been the increased use and dispose of more manufactured materials by industrialised societies. Further, rapid growth in human population has been increasing the total waste produced with greater population densities in urban areas, there is also higher concentration of waste. WTE projects are being promoted by government and private entities that stand to benefit from the installation of such WTE plants. WTE plants are designed to burn municipal solid waste as a form of waste processing and sometimes generating electricity. This technology found its way to India after being contested by the people of several countries on grounds ranging from health risks, environment and loss of livelihood. However, many WTE plants have landed into problems like soil, air and water pollution through the release of emissions. Hence, the challenge to implement the best technologies in line with global trends is the need of the hour. The most important point to be followed for waste collection is the segregation of waste into various types at the receiving end. It could be wet or dry waste and separately bio waste.
Plastic waste is large part of waste generation which is being addressed thru EPR for plastics which channelises used plastic into diesel or process oil which can be used in the oil refineries during the process (FCC, hydrocracker, etc) leading to reduction of crude oil, about 80 percent of which is imported in India.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for plastic waste is a regulatory policy making producers, importers, and brand owners (PIBOs) responsible for the entire lifecycle of their plastic packaging. Under India's Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 (2022/2023 amendments), PIBOs must collect, recycle, and meet set targets via a Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) portal, reducing environmental pollution and shifting management costs away from municipalities.
RUCO – Reused Cooking Oil and ULO – Used Lubricating Oil
Like various types of waste being generated in India, cooking oil waste is another area of concern. Most roadside eateries in India use nonstandard oils and that too after multiple cycles of heating and cooling has occurred. Most of the sourcing of these oils is from bigger hotels who sell their used cooking oils to traders at cheaper prices. These used cooking oils end up at the roadside eateries and small hotels which leads to poor health of the consumers. The toxicity of these compounds is associated with several diseases such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, liver diseases, cancer, etc. These used oils have higher polarity than the fresh cooking oil which can be checked by use of handheld, portable polarimeter.
Several properties of oil are altered, and Total Polar Compounds (TPC) are formed when same oil is used in frying. Therefore, it becomes essential to monitor the quality of cooking oil during frying /cooking with a Polarimeter. To safeguard consumer health, FSSAI has fixed a limit for Total Polar Compounds at 25 percent beyond which the cooking oil shall not be used. However, the reading beyond 12 percent can be set as a warning limit for conscious cooking needs.
FSSAI is implementing an EEE Strategy-Education, Enforcement, Ecosystem to divert used cooking oil from the food value chain and to avoid consumption of used cooking oil directly or indirectly. The EEE Strategy approach is designed to ensure good health and welfare for all 148 crore citizens, aiding energy security and climate change mitigation.
There is a need to ensure that the used cooking oil does not enter the food chain and that oil is disposed or used in a sustainable manner. Thus, the Authority launched the RUCO initiative. A network of aggregators has been formed who collect used cooking oils from the manufacturers/FBOs which are then passed on to biodiesel manufacturers and/or soap manufacturers. Biodiesel Association of India have list of empanelled agencies who are authorised by Government to convert used cooking oil to biodiesel in a sustainable manner. McDonald outlets in Mumbai have been recycling their used cooking oils with the help of Biodiesel Association of India approved agencies who convert the used cooking oils into diesel which is ultimately used in house by McDonalds for generating power through DG sets.
Repurpose Used Cooking Oil, an ecosystem that will enable the collection and conversion of used cooking oil to biodiesel. Being one of the largest consumers of cooking oil, India has the potential to recover 220 crore litres of Used Cooking Oil (UCO) for the production of biodiesel. FSSAI is working in partnership with Biodiesel Association of India (BDAI) and the food industry to ensure effective compliance of UCO standards.
There is a need to ensure that the used cooking oil does not enter the food chain and that oil is disposed or used in a sustainable manner. This information should be propagated through various channels of communication so that people are made aware about the hazards of used cooking oil and can maintain better health.
Used Lubricating oils have a high potential to be converted to recycled base oils which can go back to blending of lubricants like engine oil adding to the sustainability chain by reducing emissions from 10 to 30 percent.
The challenge is collection of ULO and reaching the recycling plants across the country who are controlled by PRAI (Petroleum Re-refiners Association of India).
OMCs have already launched engine oils with part recycled base oil sourcing the required oils from re-refiners.
The concern here is that many of the used engine oils from OEM dealerships are finding its way to spurious market including fuels and lubricants.
With the introduction of EPR in ULO, all lubricant manufacturers in India need to necessarily use a percentage of recycled base oils for manufacture of their branded lubricants.
Plastic to Diesel
This is a very novel way for conversion of waste to diesel fuel which is a high value item and finds extensive use in automotives and industry.
Global energy demand projected to grow ~50 percent by 2035
Plastic Waste Challenge: ~280 million tons/year plastic waste generated globally, only ~10 percent recycled; rest ends in landfills, oceans, or incineration.
The basic process is pyrolysis in the presence of suitable catalyst which produces diesel. The challenge is to get the right catalyst which can remove all impurities and give diesel fuel as per the requirement which is up to BS-VI level. The concern with most plastic to diesel plans is the toxic gases which are emitted in the process for which required pollution control measures have to be in place. Segregation of used plastics is another challenge for such plants as the process of segregation is not standardised in India/ neither followed extensively.
On interaction with some of the standard vendors who have successfully designed plants which can produce even BS-VI diesel, it is found that they need corporate and government support for approval and large-scale commercialisation. The current global crisis in the gulf is a reminder to all of us to look into all aspects of sourcing sustainable energy from all available sources including used plastics and waste.
Mission Way forward for Corporates:
Amid concerns over rising energy pressures in the global landscape, sustaining and self-sufficiency are mantras for managing this Global energy crisis by corporates in India. The following initiatives are suggested for progress as way forward.
- Focus for developmental activities which involve tie ups with Local municipal authorities for collection of waste for channelising the feed materials for waste to Energy plants. (Used Lube oil, Used Cooking Oil and waste plastics)
- For ULO (Used Lubricating Oil), work is already initiated by OMCs for Used Lube oil collection and use of RRBO (Re-refined Base Oil). However, mobilising aggregators for used Lube oil collection mainly from OEM dealerships will require incentivisation to car and bike owners and independent garages. Also, RRBO available in India is of Group 1 Base oil Quality which is not preferred for use by OEMs for their branded lubricants. Hence, investment in recycled lube base oil plants of Group 2/Group 3 quality will help to promote the cause of sustainability with use of recycled Base oils.
- Introduction of Polarimeter in Corporate Canteens for effective monitoring of quality of cooking Oil used and inclusion in Hygiene Index.
- Identify the potential vendors who have demonstrated necessary technologies for conversion of Plastic to Diesel/refinery feedstock which can be taken up on pilot scale for establishing the POC. (Proof of concept) and further commercialisation. Necessary corporate / Government incentives will be required to align to the cause for a better tomorrow.
- Rajesh Nambiar, Retired Executive Director (QC), IOCL
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