IN NEWS : The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has created a new ‘Blue Category’ under Essential Environmental Services (EES), covering activities like composting, biogas plants, sewage treatment, and material recovery facilities.

  1. Reclassification of WTE Incineration: Waste-to-Energy (WTE) incineration, which was earlier placed in the highly polluting ‘Red Category’ (Pollution Index of 97.6), has now been moved to the less polluting ‘Blue Category’.
  2. ‘Blue Washing’ is a term used to criticize the act of misrepresenting polluting industries as eco-friendly by placing them in cleaner categories. This term is now linked to CPCB’s decision to reclassify WTE incineration.
  3. Pollution Index (PI) System: The Pollution Index, introduced by the MoEFCC, rates industries from 0 to 100 based on emissions, effluents, hazardous waste, and resource use. It classifies industries as White (0–20), Green (21–40), Orange (41–59), and Red (60–100).