Bio-Medical Waste Management (BMWM) Rules, 2016

In order to improve, the collection, segregation, processing, treatment and disposal of biomedical
wastes in an environmentally sound manner, the Central Government has notified the new Bio-medical
Waste Management Rule on28thMarch, 2016 superseding the 1998 rules. The rules brought in a
number of changes in management and disposal of Bio-Medical Waste.

These rules are applicable to all persons who generate, collect, receive, store, transport, treat, dispose,
or handle bio medical waste in any form including hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, dispensaries,
veterinary institutions, animal houses, pathological laboratories, blood banks, ayush, hospitals, clinical
establishments, research or educational institutions, health camps, medical or surgical camps,
vaccination camps, blood donation camps, first aid rooms of schools, forensic laboratories and research
labs.

The major salient features of BMW Management Rules, 2016 include the following:

(a) The ambit of the rules has been expanded to include vaccination camps, blood donation camps,
surgical camps or any other healthcare activity;

(b) Bio-medical waste has been classified into 4 categories instead 10 to improve the segregation of
waste at source;

(c) Bio-medical waste should be segregated as per the Schedule – I and handed over Common Bio-
Medical Waste Treatment Facility for treatment, processing and final disposal.

(d) Pre-treatment of the laboratory waste, microbiological waste, blood samples and blood bags through
disinfection or sterilisation on-site in the manner as prescribed by WHO or NACO;

(e) Untreated human anatomical waste, animal anatomical waste, soiled waste and bio-technological
waste shall not be stored beyond a period of forty eight hours.

(f) Bio-medical waste shall be treated and disposed of in accordance with schedule I, and in compliance
with the standards provided in Schedule II by the health care facilities and common bio-medical waste
treatment facility.

(g) Phase-out the use of chlorinated plastic bags, gloves within two years;

(h) Establish a Bar-Code System for bags or containers containing bio-medical waste for disposal.
Provide training to all its health care workers and immunise all health workers regularly

(i) Report major accidents;

(j) Existing incinerators to achieve the standards for retention time in secondary chamber and Dioxin and
Furans within two years;
(k) Procedure to get authorisation simplified. Automatic authorisation for bedded hospitals. The validity
of authorization synchronised with validity of consent orders for Bedded HCFs. One time Authorisation
for Non-bedded HCFs;

(l) The new rules prescribe more stringent standards for incinerator to reduce the emission of pollutants
in environment;

(m) Inclusion of emissions limits for Dioxin and furans;

(n) State Government to provide land for setting up common bio-medical waste treatment and disposal
facility;

(o) No occupier shall establish on-site treatment and disposal facility, if a service of `common bio-
medical waste treatment facility is available at a distance of seventy-five kilometre;

(p) Operator of a common bio-medical waste treatment and disposal facility to ensure the timely
collection of bio-medical waste from the HCFs and assist the HCFs in conduct of training.

(q) Every Health Care Unit or Operator handling bio-medical wastes has to obtain Authorisation from
State Pollution Control Board in respect of State and Pollution Control Committees in respect of Union
Territories and Director General, Armed Forces Medical Services in respect of health care establishments
of Armed Forces.

(r) Every State Government has to constitute an Advisory Committee to oversee the implementation of
the rules in the respective state. The Ministry of Defence has also to constitute an Advisory Committee.