UNIT- 6 REGULATORY

FRAMEWORKS
Salient features of Indian legislations on management and
handling of municipal solid wastes, hazardous wastes,
biomedical wastes, nuclear wastes - lead acid batteries,
electronic wastes, plastics waste, bio-medical waste,
construction and demolition waste and fly ash waste.
Salient features of Indian legislations on
management and handling
MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE

 The Waste (Disposal and Management) Bill, 2023:

 This bill, currently in the introduction stage, proposes
several new features for waste management, including:
 Establishment of Regional Waste Disposal Management
Clusters: These clusters aim to facilitate efficient waste
collection, segregation, transportation, and disposal for
groups of ten cities.
 Shared responsibility: The bill proposes cost-sharing
between central and state governments for establishing
and operating these clusters.
Focus on waste-to-energy plants: The bill encourages the
use of waste-to-energy plants for processing non-recyclable
and non-biodegradable waste.
Inspection and Promotion Committee: The central
government would constitute a committee to oversee the
operation and management of these regional clusters.
It's important to note that the Waste (Disposal and
Management) Bill, 2023, is still undergoing legislative
processes and may be subject to changes before its
finalization.
HAZARADOUS WASTE
 The primary legislation governing the management and handling of
hazardous waste in India is the Hazardous Waste Management
Rules, 2016, with amendments made up to January 9th, 2024. Here
are some of its salient features:
 Authorization:
 Every entity involved in generation, collection, storage,
transportation, treatment, or disposal of hazardous waste requires
authorization from the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB).
 Waste Classification:
 The rules classify hazardous waste into various categories based on
their hazard potential, ensuring appropriate handling and disposal
methods.
 Responsibilities:
 The rules define clear responsibilities for various stakeholders,
including:
Generators: Implementing waste minimization practices,
segregation, storage, and proper disposal.
Collectors and Transporters: Obtaining authorization, maintaining
transportation records, and ensuring safe transportation.
Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facilities (TSDFs): Obtaining
authorization, adhering to treatment and disposal standards,
and maintaining records.
 Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR):
 The rules introduce EPR for specific hazardous wastes like e-waste,
used oil, and lead-acid batteries, making manufacturers
responsible for collection and environmentally sound
management.
 Waste Minimization and Recycling:
 The rules encourage waste minimization at the source and promote
recycling and reuse of hazardous waste wherever possible.
 Transboundary Movement:
 The rules regulate the import and export of hazardous waste,
adhering to international conventions like the Basel Convention.
 Record Keeping and Reporting:
 All stakeholders involved in hazardous waste management are
mandated to maintain detailed records and submit periodic
reports to the SPCB.
 Penalties:
 The rules prescribe penalties for non-compliance, including fines
and imprisonment, to ensure adherence to regulations.
 Recent Amendments (as of September 18th, 2023):
 Introduced Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for used oil,
mandating manufacturers, importers, and brand owners to collect
and manage used oil through designated collection centers.
Hazardous Waste Management Rules 2016
For the first time, Rules have been made to
distinguish between Hazardous Waste and other
wastes. Other wastes include: Waste tyre, paper
waste, metal scrap, used electronic items, etc.
and are recognized as a resource for recycling
and reuse. These resources supplement the
industrial processes and reduce the load on the
virgin resource of the country.
 The salient features of Hazardous (Management & Trans boundary
Movement) Rules, 2016 include the following:-
 The ambit of the Rules has been expanded by including ‘Other Waste’.
 Waste Management hierarchy in the sequence of priority of prevention,
minimization, reuse, recycling, recovery, co-processing; and safe disposal
has been incorporated.
 All the forms under the rules for permission, import/export, filing of annual
returns, transportation, etc. have been revised significantly, indicating the
stringent approach for management of such hazardous and other wastes
with simultaneous simplification of procedure.
 The basic necessity of infrastructure to safeguard the health and
environment from waste processing industry has been prescribed as
Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs), specific to waste type, which has to
be complied by the stakeholders and ensured by SPCB/PCC while granting
such authorisation.
 Procedure has been simplified to merge all the approvals as a single
window clearance for setting up of hazardous waste disposal facility and
import of other wastes.
 Co-processing as preferential mechanism over disposal for use of waste as
supplementary resource, or for recovery of energy has been provided.
 The approval process for co-processing of hazardous waste to recover energy
has been streamlined and put on emission norms basis rather than on trial basis.
 The process of import/export of waste under the Rules has been streamlined by
simplifying the document-based procedure and by revising the list of waste
regulated for import/export.
 The import of metal scrap, paper waste and various categories of electrical and
electronic equipments for re-use purpose has been exempted from the need of
obtaining Ministry’s permission.
 The basic necessity of infrastructure to safeguard the health and environment
from waste processing industry has been prescribed as Standard Operating
Procedure (SOPs) specific to waste type.
 Responsibilities of State Government for environmentally sound management of
hazardous and other wastes have been introduced as follows:
 To set up/ allot industrial space or sheds for recycling, pre-processing and other
utilization of hazardous or other waste.
 To register the workers involved in recycling, pre-processing and other utilization
activities.
 To form groups of workers to facilitate setting up such facilities.
 To undertake industrial skill development activities and ensure safety and health of
workers.
 List of processes generating hazardous wastes has been reviewed taking into
account technological evolution in the industries.
 List of Waste Constituents with Concentration Limits has been revised as per
international standard and drinking water standard.
The following items have been prohibited for import:

 Waste edible fats and oil of animals, or vegetable origin;

 Household waste;
 Critical Care Medical equipment;
 Tyres for direct re-use purpose;
 Solid Plastic wastes including Pet bottles;
 Waste electrical and electronic assemblies scrap;
 Other chemical wastes especially in solvent form.
 State Government is authorized to prepare integrated plan for effective
implementation of these provisions, and have to submit annual report to Ministry
of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
 State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) is mandated to prepare an annual
inventory of the waste generated; waste recycled, recovered, utilised including
co-processed; waste re-exported and waste disposed and submit to the
Central Pollution Control Board by the 30th day of September every year.
BIOMEDICAL WASTE
 Biomedical waste comprises human & animal anatomical waste,
treatment apparatus likeneedles, syringes and other materials used
in health care facilities in the process of treatment and research.
This waste is generated during diagnosis, treatment or immunisation
in hospitals, nursing homes, pathological laboratories, blood bank,
etc. Total bio-medical waste generation in the country is 484 TPD
from 1,68,869 healthcare facilities (HCF), out of which 447 TPD is
treated.
 The quantum of waste generated in India is estimated to be 1-2 kg
per bed per day in a hospital and 600 gm per day per bed in a
clinic. 85% of the hospital waste is non-hazardous, 15% is
infectious/hazardous. Mixing of hazardous results in to
contamination and makes the entire waste hazardous. Hence there
is necessity to segregate and treat. Improper disposal increases risk
of infection; encourages recycling of prohibited disposables and
disposed drugs; and develops resistant microorganisms.
 Salient features of BMW Management Rules, 2016
 The ambit of the rules has been expanded to include vaccination camps,
blood donation camps, surgical camps or any other healthcare activity;
 Phase-out the use of chlorinated plastic bags, gloves and blood bags
within two years;
 Pre-treatment of the laboratory waste, microbiological waste, blood
samples and blood bags through disinfection orsterilisation on-site in the
manner as prescribed by WHOor NACO;
 Provide training to all its health care workers and immunise all health
workers regularly;
 Establish a Bar-Code System for bags or containers containing bio-medical
waste for disposal;
 Report major accidents; (g) Existing incinerators to achieve the standards
for retention time in secondary chamber and Dioxin and Furans within two
years; Bio-medical waste has been classified in to 4 categories instead 10 to
improve the segregation of waste at source;
 Bio-medical waste has been classified in to 4 categories instead 10 to
improve the segregation of waste at source;
 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;
 The new rules prescribe more stringent standards for incinerator to reduce
the emission of pollutants in environment;
 Inclusion of emissions limits for Dioxin and furans;
 State Government to provide land for setting up common bio-medical
waste treatment and disposal facility;
 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 kilometer.
 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 .
 Amendments in Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016 Rules
 Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016 Rules have been amended to
improve compliance and strengthen the implementation of environmentally
sound management of biomedical waste in India.
 The amended rules stipulate that generators of bio-medical waste such as
hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, and dispensaries etc will not use chlorinated
plastic bags and gloves beyond March 27, 2019 in medical applications to save
the environment. Blood bags have been exempted for phase-out, as per the
amended BMW rules, 2018.
 Salient features of Bio-Medical Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2018
are as follows:
 Bio-medical waste generators including hospitals, nursing homes, clinics,
dispensaries, veterinary institutions, animal houses, pathological laboratories,
blood banks, health care facilities, and clinical establishments will have to
phase out chlorinated plastic bags (excluding blood bags) and gloves by
March 27, 2019.
 All healthcare facilities shall make available the annual report on its website
within a period of two years from the date of publication of the Bio-Medical
Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2018.
 Operators of common bio-medical waste treatment and disposal facilities shall
establish bar coding and global positioning system for handling of bio-medical
waste in accordance with guidelines issued by the Central Pollution Control
Board by March 27, 2019.
 The State Pollution Control Boards/ Pollution Control Committees have to
compile, review and analyze the information received and send this
information to the Central Pollution Control Board in a new Form (Form IV
A), which seeks detailed information regarding district-wise bio-medical
waste generation, information on Health Care Facilities having captive
treatment facilities, information on common bio-medical waste treatment
and disposal facilities.
 Every occupier, i.e. a person having administrative control over the
institution and the premises generating biomedical waste shall pre-treat the
laboratory waste, microbiological waste, blood samples, and blood bags
through disinfection or sterilization on-site in the manner as prescribed by
the World Health Organization (WHO) or guidelines on safe management
of wastes from health care activities and WHO Blue Book 2014 and then
sent to the Common bio-medical waste treatment facility for final disposal.
 These amendments have been made vide Notification G.S.R. 234(E) dated
March 16, 2018.
Nuclear wastes - plastics waste,
 Plastic waste management: - The plastic waste management by the urban local
bodies in
 their respective jurisdiction shall be as under: -
 Plastic waste, which can be recycled, shall be channelized to registered plastic
waste recycler and recycling of plastic shall conform to the Indian Standard: IS
14534:1998 titled as Guidelines for Recycling of Plastics, as amended from time to
time;
 b. Local bodies shall encourage the use of plastic waste (preferably the plastic waste
which cannot be further recycled) for road construction as per Indian Road
Congress guidelines or energy recovery or waste to oil etc. The standards and
pollution control norms specified by the prescribed authority for these technologies
shall be complied with;
 c. Thermo set plastic waste shall be processed and disposed of as per the guidelines
issued from time to time by the Central Pollution Control Board; and
 d. The inert from recycling or processing facilities of plastic waste shall be disposed of
in compliance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2000 or as amended from
time to time.
 As of February 2024, the key features of Indian legislation on plastic waste
management are outlined by the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, with
amendments made in 2021 and 2023:
 Ban on Single-Use Plastics:
 Prohibition: The manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of specific
single-use plastic items, including cutlery, plates, cups, straws, and thin carry bags,
are banned since July 2022.
 Exemptions: Compostable and biodegradable plastics are allowed only for specific
applications like gutkha and pan masala sachets, but with strict labeling
requirements.
 Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR):
 Producer Responsibility: Manufacturers, brand owners, and importers are responsible
for the collection, processing, and disposal of plastic waste generated from their
products under the EPR framework.
 Buy-back Scheme: Producers can implement buy-back or deposit-return schemes to
incentivize waste collection and prevent plastic from mixing with regular solid waste.
 EPR Fees: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) determines and adjusts fees for
obtaining EPR certificates, promoting responsible waste management practices.
 Waste Segregation and Management:
 Source Segregation: Individuals and bulk generators like offices and industries are
mandated to segregate plastic waste at source for efficient collection and
recycling.
 User Fees: Local bodies can levy user fees on waste generation to encourage
responsible waste disposal and support waste management infrastructure.
 Event Organizers' Responsibility: Organizers of public events are accountable for
managing the plastic waste generated during the event.
 Promoting Alternatives and Recycling:
 Minimum Thickness for Carry Bags: The minimum thickness of plastic carry bags has
been increased progressively to discourage their use and encourage reuse.
 Encouragement of Alternatives: The legislation promotes the use of alternatives to
plastic, such as cloth bags, jute bags, and other sustainable materials.
 Waste-to-Energy and Recycling: The legislation encourages utilizing plastic waste for
road construction, energy recovery, or conversion into usable products through
recycling.
 Implementation and Enforcement:
 Gram Panchayats: Gram Panchayats (village councils) are primarily responsible for
implementing the rules at the local level.
 State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs): SPCBs oversee and monitor the
implementation of the rules by various stakeholders.
 Penalties: Non-compliance with the regulations can attract penalties as per the
Environment Protection Act, 1986.
 You can find the complete document on the websites of the Central Pollution
Control Board (CPCB) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
(MoEF).
LEAD ACID BATTERIES
 Here are the salient features of the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022:
 Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR):
 Producers (including importers) of all types of batteries, including lead-acid
batteries, are responsible for their collection, recycling, or refurbishment.
 This means they must establish systems to collect used batteries from
consumers and ensure they are properly processed.
 Collection and Recycling/Refurbishment:
 Ban on landfilling and incineration: Disposal of waste batteries in landfills or
through incineration is strictly prohibited.
 Targets for collection and recycling/refurbishment: Producers are required
to meet specific targets for collecting and processing used batteries.
 Use of recycled materials: The rules encourage the use of recycled
materials recovered from waste batteries in the manufacturing of new
batteries.
 Responsibilities of Other Stakeholders:
 Consumers: Consumers are obligated to dispose of used
batteries separately from other waste streams and deposit them at designated
collection points.
 Collectors and recyclers: Entities involved in collecting, segregating, and
treating waste batteries must adhere to environmentally sound practices.
 Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB): The CPCB plays a crucial role in
monitoring the implementation of the rules, setting fees, and managing
registrations.
 Additional Features:
 Registration: Producers must register with the CPCB for a period of five years.
 EPR plan submission: Producers need to submit an EPR plan outlining their
collection and recycling/refurbishment strategies.
 Labelling: Batteries must be properly labelled with specific symbols for easy
identification and responsible disposal.
 Overall, the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022, aim to establish a
comprehensive framework for the environmentally sound management of lead-
acid batteries and other battery types in India.
 It's important to note that while these rules came into effect in 2022, their full
implementation might still be evolving. It's advisable to consult the official
government notifications and updates for the latest information.
CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION
WASTE
 Salient features of Indian legislation concerning the management and
handling of Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste as of 2023:
 The Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016: These
rules were enacted to regulate the management of C&D waste in India.
 Responsibility of Generators: The rules stipulate that it is the responsibility of
the generator of C&D waste to ensure that such waste is appropriately
managed and disposed of without causing harm to public health and the
environment.
 Segregation at Source: The legislation emphasizes the segregation of
construction and demolition waste at the source to facilitate proper
recycling and disposal.
 Authorized Waste Processing Facilities: The rules require local authorities to
establish and promote the use of authorized C&D waste processing
facilities for the treatment and recycling of construction and demolition
waste.
 Use of Recycled Products: The legislation encourages the use of recycled
construction materials in new construction projects to minimize the demand
for natural resources and reduce environmental impact.
 Registration of Stakeholders: The rules mandate the registration of
stakeholders involved in the handling and management of C&D waste,
including waste generators, transporters, and recyclers.
 Penalties for Non-compliance: Non-compliance with the rules may result in
penalties and fines, thereby incentivizing adherence to proper waste
management practices.
 Promotion of Research and Development: The legislation encourages
research and development activities aimed at finding innovative solutions
for the effective management and recycling of construction and
demolition waste.
 Awareness and Capacity Building: There is a provision for raising awareness
among stakeholders and building their capacity to adopt best practices in
C&D waste management through training programs and outreach
activities.
 Integration with Urban Planning: The rules emphasize the integration of C&D
waste management considerations into urban planning processes to
ensure sustainable development and efficient use of resources.
FLY ASH WASTE
 Fly Ash Utilization Notification, 2016: This notification mandates the utilization
of fly ash generated from thermal power plants. It requires that 100% of fly
ash generated by thermal power plants be utilized in various construction
activities such as roads, highways, flyovers, and embankments.
 Environment (Protection) Amendment Rules, 2020: These rules specify
guidelines for the management of fly ash. They include provisions for the
proper handling, storage, transportation, and disposal of fly ash to prevent
environmental pollution.
 Fly Ash Notification, 1999: This notification regulates the use and disposal of
fly ash generated from coal or lignite-based thermal power plants. It
stipulates that fly ash must be disposed of in an environmentally sound
manner to minimize its adverse impact on air, water, and land.
 National Policy on Fly Ash Utilization, 2018: This policy aims to promote the
sustainable utilization of fly ash in various sectors such as construction,
agriculture, and manufacturing. It encourages the development of
technologies for the efficient utilization of fly ash and provides incentives for
industries to adopt fly ash-based products.
 Indian Standard Specifications (IS): The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has
established IS codes specifying the quality standards for fly ash used in
different applications. These standards ensure that fly ash meets the
necessary criteria for safe and effective utilization.
 Fly Ash Brick and Block Notification, 2016: This notification mandates the
use of at least 25% fly ash in the manufacture of bricks and blocks used in
construction activities. It promotes the use of fly ash-based building
materials as a sustainable alternative to traditional clay bricks.
 State-specific Regulations: Some states in India have formulated their own
regulations and policies for the management and utilization of fly ash
based on local requirements and environmental conditions.
References
 https://vikaspedia.in/energy/environment/waste-management/hazardous-
waste/environment-ministry-notifies-hazardous-waste-management-rules-
2016 (Hazardous waste management rules)
 https://vikaspedia.in/energy/environment/waste-management/bio-
medical-waste-management/bio-medical-waste-management-rules
(biomedical waste mgmt. rules
 )https://vikaspedia.in/energy/environment/waste-
management/environment-ministry-notifies-construction-and-demolition-
waste-management-rules-for-the-first-time (Construction and demolition
waste mgmt. rules)
 https://cpcb.nic.in/e-waste/ in this website you will get all the rules and
regulations to handle different types of waste