As solid and liquid waste management continues to emerge as a formidable challenge amid the ongoing expansion of cities, the Uttar Pradesh government is gearing up to almost double waste management capacity from 15,000 MT to 27,000 MT per day.

The state is also constructing parks using the waste material under the ‘Waste to Wonder’ scheme.

Urban Development Minister AK Sharma, on Wednesday, said in the UP assembly that the state had achieved a commendable position in garbage management. He said that the state’s air quality was significantly better than that of other cities across the country.

 Every day, Uttar Pradesh generates 20,000 MT of solid waste, of which 15,000 MT are currently being processed, he said, adding that the state government planned to nearly double this capacity to 27,000 MT per day by adding an additional 12,000 MT per day waste processing capacity.

Presently, there are 933 material recovery facility (MRF) centres in the state, with 711 operational and actively processing solid waste, he added.

Sharma further highlighted that the UP government is not only processing solid waste but also using it to construct roads. The roads of the new high court and police headquarters in Lucknow have been built using processed urban waste, he pointed out.

“Every day, garbage is collected from homes and processed at material recovery facility centres using electromagnetic and air pressure techniques. The processed material is utilised in three main ways: it is provided as reusable plastic material to private vendors, used in road construction, and employed in the creation of Waste to Wonder Parks,” he said.

He pointed out that one notable example was the ‘UP Darshan Park’ in Lucknow, built on five acres, which stands as an excellent example of innovative waste management.

Additionally, other cities such as Agra, Gorakhpur, and Mirzapur have also seen the development of Happiness Parks and Waste to Wonder Parks, he added.