Currently, cities around the world generate around 1.3 billion tons of waste per year. This volume is expected to double in the next 20 years especially in low-middle income countries like India.

Needless to say, business prospects in solid waste management are tremendous. According to the World Bank, the waste management sector in Asia is estimated to be worth 25 billion by 2025 under the current best practices and technology options.

The prospects are even better when envisaged under the Circular Economy (CE) approach which aims to create resource efficient systems that loop ‘discards' back into the materials economy. In India, the CE approach could create an annual value of Rs.14 lakh crores in 2030 and create millions of new jobs.
The key drivers of value creation include better product design, innovative business models, and reverse logistics (Ellen McArthur Foundation, 2016). With its huge informal recycling economy and a favourable policy environment, India is posited on the CE pathway. The role of technology and innovative business cannot be underestimated under such a scenario.

This brainstorming workshop will touch upon:

• 1. Where are technologies currently being used in solid waste management?
• 2. What are the major challenges in the sector?
• 3. What are the key areas where technology and innovation are lacking?
• 4. What are the business prospects at the various stages of the value chain?