Executive Summary : | Thousands of uncontrolled solid waste dumpsites worldwide are major sources of environmental pollution and nuisance, occupying prime land that could be used for other purposes. Reclamation of these dumpsites, particularly in developing nations like India, is an environmentally sensitive issue. In India, about 160038.9 tonnes per day (TPD) of SW is collected, with only 50% receiving scientific treatment. This leads to a significant amount of waste being disposed at landfills without treatment, which will demand a new land area of 1400 sq. km by 2051. As urbanization and population growth increase land scarcity, biomining technology combined with bioreactor landfills may be the most practical solution for reclaiming open dumping grounds. However, a thorough study is required before mining a dumpsite or landfill, particularly to assess the project's cost-effectiveness. Economic feasibility is an important issue when making decisions regarding landfill mining projects, but few studies have focused on this issue. Social justification for conversion of open landfills to biomined landfills must also be assessed, considering increasing property value and employment generation. In India, legacy waste is mostly composed of soil-like materials, making it difficult to calculate direct costs. No literature exists on the socio-economic feasibility of landfill or dumpsites in the Indian context. Bio-mining work has started at 78 out of 107 legacy dumpsites in West Bengal, but there is insufficient study on characterisation of legacy waste, reuse feasibility of stabilized legacy waste, and socio-economic feasibility of biomining projects after three years of competence. |