Waste management

Explanation

Under India's E-Waste (Management) Rules, Extended Producer Responsibility places the financial and operational burden of collecting, channelising, and recycling end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment on producers (manufacturers, importers, and brand owners) — not on consumers. Producers are required to meet annual collection targets, set up take-back mechanisms, and register with CPCB. Pair 1 is therefore correctly matched. Pair 2 is incorrectly matched: the collection target obligation falls on producers (and their authorised entities), not on consumers. Consumers are encouraged, but not legally mandated, to deposit waste at collection points. Pair 3 is correctly matched: lithium-ion batteries are treated as hazardous waste under the rules because they contain flammable electrolytes and toxic metals (cobalt, nickel, manganese). When crushed, punctured, or improperly incinerated, they pose serious fire risks and can release toxic substances — a concern highlighted globally as battery-powered fast-tech proliferates.

Explanation

In aerobic composting, the thermophilic phase — where temperatures rise to roughly 55–70°C — is the scientifically established mechanism by which pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and weed seeds are destroyed, while simultaneously accelerating the metabolic activity of heat-tolerant (thermophilic) microorganisms. This is a core principle in both solid-waste composting and controlled human composting (terramation). Bulking agents such as wood chips, straw, and alfalfa serve a structural and functional role: they create air pockets that ensure adequate oxygen supply and help regulate moisture, both of which are essential for sustaining aerobic microbial populations. Both pairs 1 and 2 are therefore correctly matched. Pair 3 is incorrect: the end product of controlled aerobic composting is nutrient-rich humus (compost), not inorganic ash. Ash is the residue of combustion (cremation), not biological decomposition. Compost retains organic nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and carbon compounds that support soil fertility and plant growth — the defining value of composting as a nutrient-recycling process.

Explanation

Pair 1 is correctly matched: the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 mandate segregation at source, requiring waste generators — households, bulk generators, and institutions — to separate waste into biodegradable (wet), non-biodegradable (dry/recyclable), and domestic hazardous categories before handing it over to collectors. This is a core obligation under the Rules. Pair 2 is correctly matched: Haritha Karma Sena (HKS) is Kerala's model of decentralised, door-to-door waste collection units operating under local self-government bodies, constituted as part of the state's Suchitwa Mission to assist panchayats and municipalities in source-level segregation and collection — consistent with the decentralised framework envisioned by the SWM Rules, 2016. Pair 3 is incorrectly matched: under the Plastic Waste Management Rules (amended in 2022 and successive notifications), the financial responsibility for managing plastic waste — particularly collecting, processing, and meeting recycling targets — is placed on Producers, Importers, and Brand Owners (PIBOs) through the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework, not on urban local bodies. Local bodies are responsible for collection and ensuring handover to registered recyclers, but the financial liability of EPR sits with the producers, not with the local body.