Burning waste to generate electricity may be creating more pollution and greenhouse gas emissions than the benefits it offers. A new study conducted by the National Alliance for Climate and Ecological Justice (NACEJ) and the Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) on four waste-to-energy plants in Delhi shows that these plants release about 4.7 times more carbon dioxide per unit of electricity generated compared with the conventional grid system. It estimates that electricity generated by Delhi’s four operational WTE plants carries a fossil-origin carbon intensity of 3.4 kg of CO2 per kWh of net electricity exported.
The report has raised concerns about whether Bengaluru’s Bidadi waste-to-energy plant is genuinely an environmentally beneficial solution, particularly when its pollution monitoring, emissions and waste-management practices remain areas of concern.
The report points out that the 600-tonne-per-day WTE incinerator at Bidadi operated for months without the required authorisation under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, before receiving authorisation from the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) in February 2026.
A Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) report had also flagged gaps in pollution monitoring and the absence of submitted ash-analysis and treated-leachate reports. The plant witnessed a fatal accident on January 4, 2025, in which five workers died. Despite these concerns, the State has proposed a further 11 MW expansion.
The study has called for independent monitoring, transparent disclosure of emissions and ash-management data, and an assessment of decentralised alternatives that prioritise waste prevention, material recovery and worker safety.
“The study’s finding that waste-to-energy plants emit more CO₂ than coal power plants has important implications for Bengaluru’s Bidadi waste-to-energy plant, raising the possibility that it, too, has a higher carbon footprint than coal-based electricity. With atmospheric CO₂ concentrations continuing to accelerate and destabilising the planet, is burning waste for so little electricity really a solution?” asked Nirmala Gowda of Mapping Malnad.
Researchers have also raised concerns about the burning of plastic. It is estimated that the four Delhi plants processed 7,35,840 tonnes of plastic in 2023, with plastic accounting for about 42% of their refuse-derived fuel feed. Burning plastic releases fossil carbon as CO₂ and destroys material that could otherwise be reused or recycled.
“When its electricity carries many times the carbon intensity of coal, we must question why incineration is being promoted way over segregation, reuse, recycling and reducing overconsumption. We need systems that protect both the climate and the livelihoods of waste workers.”
Experts say while waste-to-energy is increasingly being pushed as a climate solution, there is more than enough evidence right here to show that this is neither a sustainable solution to the waste crisis nor the climate crisis.
“When its electricity carries many times the carbon intensity of coal, we must question why incineration is being promoted way over segregation, reuse, recycling and reducing overconsumption. We need systems that protect both the climate and the livelihoods of waste workers, and it is possible to build them,” said Sampreetha of Friday’s For Future.
The report recommends excluding municipal-waste incineration from climate finance, ending incentives that reward plastic combustion and prioritising waste prevention, source segregation, recycling and biological treatment.
This article was originally published in Bangalore Mirror you can it read here.
