Central Government notifies the Solid Waste Management Rules 2026, superseding the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016

Central Government has notified the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026 (“Rules”), superseding the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 (“Principal Rules”). The Rules are applicable to all solid waste generators, including domestic, institutional, commercial, and any other non-residential waste generators. The Rules will come into effect on 1st April 2026.

Key Highlights:

1. Duties of Bulk waste generators:

• Bulk waste generator covers entities (such as private companies, commercial establishments, industrial units and industrial areas, hotels, hospitals etc.) that satisfy at least one of the following criterion; (i) buildings with floor area of 20,000 sq.m. or above; or (ii) water consumption of 40000 litres per day; or (iii) solid waste generation of 100 kg per day.

• Bulk waste generators are required to obtain registration with the concerned local body through the centralised online portal. The certificate of registration will specify the conditions required to be fulfilled for the registration to remain valid.

• Bulk waste generator must adhere to the following ongoing conditions:

• Making necessary arrangements for collecting and handing over of dry waste, sanitary waste, special care waste, to the local body or agency authorised by it;
• Making necessary arrangements to collect and process wet waste or horticulture waste generated by them, in a decentralised manner through composting or biomethanation or any other approved technology;
• Setting up and operating wet waste processing facility of adequate capacity, including horticulture waste to ensure processing of complete wet waste generated by new bulk waste generators.

• Existing bulk waste generators who are not able to set up and operate decentralised wet waste processing will get exemption from the local body. However such bulk waste generators must procure Extended Bulk Waste Generator Responsibility certificates from the local body for processing of wet waste equivalent to complete wet waste generated.

• Fulfillment of Extended Bulk Waste Generator Responsibility and procuring Extended Bulk Waste Generator Responsibility Certificates from the local body for undertaking environmentally sound management by collection and transportation of waste have been prescribed.

• Bulk waste generators must submit annual returns by 30^th June of every year on the centralised online portal in respect of the Extended Bulk Waste Generator Responsibility obligation including procurement of Extended Bulk Waste Generator Responsibility certificate for total calculated solid waste generated by them.

• Duties of Operator of solid waste processing facilities:

• Operator of a facility” means a person or entity, who owns or operates a facility for handling solid waste which includes the local body and any other entity or agency appointed by the local body.

• Operator of every waste processing facility must obtain registration from local body through the centralised online portal in case of wet waste, dry waste, sanitary waste, special care waste, horticulture waste processing facilities including Waste to energy, Compressed Bio-Gas plant, composting, incinerators, common biomedical waste facilities.

• Filing of quarterly as well as annual return have been mandated.

• Obtaining authorization from the State Pollution Control Board for setting and operation of waste processing units has also been mandated.

• Operators of solid waste processing facilities must also register all biomethanation or Compressed Biogas or biogas plants on the GOBARDHAN portal.

• Duties of entities involved in sorting of recyclable or non-recyclable waste at Material Recovery Facility:

• Entities must report to the concerned local body through the online portal regarding the quantity of solid waste received, quantity of solid waste sorted and channelized to registered waste processors or sanitary landfills on a quarterly basis by 15^th of first month of next quarter.

• Entities must ensure the following:

• The facility operates in accordance with the guidelines prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs;
• Hazardous waste generated from any activity of the entity is managed as per the provisions under the Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016.

• In the Principal Rules, duties of industrial units located within 100 km from the refused derived fuel and waste to energy plants based on solid waste was prescribed. Now the 100km criterion has been further extended, providing for adherence to different conditions based on the distance.

• Registration requirement and filing of annual returns have been mandated.

Source: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change