Waste management is an issue that has been plaguing our society for over a century. But until a few decades ago, we had this under control. Over the last few years, industrialization and an increase in population have led to the generation of waste at a rate faster than what we can dispose and manage without harm to the environment.

Prevention is the best cure. Keeping this in mind, it is imperative that we adopt a lifestyle that is aimed at minimal waste generation. Implementing the 3Rs which are Reuse, Recycle and Reduce is also important since we can't keep abusing the natural resources of the planet and should develop methods to recycle and reuse whatever we can. Composting is another great way to tackle the organic waste that is produced and in turn, to generate biofuels and biogas that can help replace fossil fuels.

India produces about 60 million tonnes of waste every year, most of which is landfilled or incinerated. Both these methods are good for the short term but backfire in the long term since these methods contribute significantly to pollution of air and water. Segregation of waste should start at the household level and disposal methods should take this into consideration. For example, Construction and Demolition (C&D) can be reused and shouldn't end up being disposed of irresponsibly. Biodegradable and organic waste should be separated and treated by using methods like composting, biological reprocessing and pyrolysis.

In the words of Dr. Sunita Narain, Director of Centre of Science and Environment in India, "process everything that can be processed and dump only the residue in the landfill".  Unless and until more investment is made in research and development of a more effective waste management system and the authorities develop effective policies to integrate segregation and recycling into the already existing waste management system, it is very unlikely that we will win this battle against waste. 

Sources referred: 

1) https://scroll.in/article/682335/for-clean-india-to-work-country-needs-to-solve-its-waste-disposal-problem

2) http://www.norcalcompactors.net/6-waste-disposal-methods/

3) https://wideinfo.org/waste-management-and-the-common-waste-disposal-methods/