In News:

• The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has recently introduced a new ‘Blue Category’ for industries under its Essential Environmental Services (EES) framework.
• Notably, Waste-to-Energy (WTE) incineration plants, previously classified as highly polluting ‘Red Category’ industries, have now been controversially reclassified under this new category.

Background: Pollution Index (PI) and Industry Categorisation

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) classifies industries into categories — White, Green, Orange, and Red — based on a Pollution Index (PI) (0–100 scale).
  • White (0–20): Least polluting
  • Green (21–40)
  • Orange (41–59)
  • Red (60–100): Most polluting
• WTE plants, with a PI of 97.6, were originally in the Red Category.

What is the new Blue Category?

• Created under Essential Environmental Services (EES) classification.
• Grants 2 additional years of “Consent to Operate” (essentially, consent to pollute).
• Aims to support infrastructure like composting units, biogas plants, material recovery facilities, etc

Controversy: WTE Incineration in the Blue Category

• WTE plants burn unsegregated municipal solid waste (MSW) to generate electricity by producing steam to drive turbines.
• Unlike claimed benefits, WTE plants emit more CO? per unit of electricity than coal-fired plants, contributing to climate change.
• CPCB’s inspection reports found that Delhi’s WTE plants exceeded emission norms, releasing carcinogens and other pollutants such as:
  • SOx, NOx, HCL, PM, Dioxins, and Furans
• In FY 2022–23, Delhi’s WTE plants incinerated ~735,840 tons of plastic, contributing significantly to Delhi’s poor air quality.
• These plants also generate hazardous ash, requiring secure landfill disposal.

Issues with Reclassification

• The CPCB’s own guidelines state that:
  • Only projects that do not emit hazardous waste or
  • Projects that promote the circular economy can be blue-listed.
• However, leading government institute CSIR-NEERI has observed that WTE plants violate the principles of the circular economy and contravene Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.
• Reclassification undermines environmental safeguards, harms waste pickers’ livelihoods, and imposes financial burdens on Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).