Although the term “legacy waste” has not been defined in any official government document in India, it typically refers to aged municipal solid waste in landfills or dumpsites. There is no information on how old waste must be in order to qualifybe called legacy waste. Legacy waste is a mix of partially or completely decomposed biodegradable waste, plastic waste, textiles, metals, glass and other components.

It is important to note that legacy waste dumpsite remediation projects in India concern themselves not only with legacy waste dumpsites but also with any unscientifically managed dumpsite that is relatively young. The agenda is to clear unscientifically designed and mismanaged dumpsites that might be causing or can cause long-term environmental and public health hazards.