New Waste Management Rules

Introduction

The new draft rules has been released in exercise of powers conferred by Environment Protection Act, 1986 and will supersede the Municipal Solid Wastes (management and handling) Rules, 2000, which is 15 years old now and need overhaul.

These  rules  shall  apply  to  every  urban  local  body,  all  statutory  towns,  outgrowths  in urban  agglomerations  as  declared  by  the  registrar  general  &  census  commissioner  of  India,  notified areas/notified  industrial  townships,  notified  area  committees,  area  under  Indian  railways, defense cantonments, special economic zones in the country and every waste generator.

Salient Features

Management of Solid Waste excluding Construction and Demolition Waste

• Responsibility of Waste Generator
  • Segregation and storage of waste in three separate streams namely bio-degradable or wet waste, non bio-degradable or dry waste and domestic hazardous waste in suitable bins
  • store separately construction and demolition waste in his own premises, as and when generated and shall dispose off as per these rules
• Duties of Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change
  • shall monitor  the  activities  undertaken  by central  pollution  control  board,  state  pollution  control  boards  and  the  pollution  control committees for enforcement of the provisions of the rules
• Duties of Ministry of Urban Development
  • take periodic  review  of  the  measures  taken  by  the  states  and  urban  local  bodies  for  improving  solid waste management practices and execution of  solid  waste management  projects funded by the Ministry and external agencies at least once in a year and give advice on taking corrective measures
  • guide and facilitate States and Union Territories   in formulation of  state  policy and  strategy  on  solid management based on national solid waste management policy and national urban sanitation policy
  • undertake training and capacity building of urban local bodies and other stakeholders
• Duties of Department of Fertiliser
  • incentivize the sale of city compost
• Duties of DM, DC
  • facilitate identification  and  allocation  of  suitable  land  for  setting  up  solid  waste  processing  and disposal facilities to Urban Local Bodies in his district
  • review the performance of urban local bodies, at least once in a quarter and take corrective measures
• Duties of CPCB
  • formulate the    standards  of  ground  water,  ambient  air,  leachate  in  respect  of  all  solid  waste processing facilities including composting, incineration, land filling
  • review environmental  standards  and  norms  prescribed  for  solid  waste  processing  facilities   or treatment technologies
• Duties and Responsibilities of Urban Local Bodies
  • prepare a  solid  waste  management  plan  as  per  State  Policy
  • develop infrastructure  for  segregation,  collection,  transportation,  storage,  processing  and  disposal  of solid waste in their respective jurisdiction either at its own or through public private partnership mode
  • arrange for day to day Collection of segregated bio-degradable and non bio-degradable solid waste or wet waste  or  dry  waste  from  the  door  step  of  all  households  including  slums  and  informal  settlements, commercial, institutional and other non-residential premises
  • transport segregated  bio-degradable  (wet  waste)  to  the  processing  facilities  like  compost  plant,  biomethanation plant or any such facility
  • transport non-bio-degradable  (dry  waste)  including  wrapped  sanitary  waste  to  the  respective processing facility or material recovery facilities (MRF) or secondary storage facility
  • transport inert  waste  (non-recyclable,  street  sweepings  and  silt  collected  from  the  surface  drains) directly to disposal facility
  • provide easy access to waste pickers and recyclers for collection of segregated recyclable waste such as paper, plastic, metal, glass, textile from the source of generation or from material recovery facilities
  • create public  awareness  through  Information,  Education  a nd  Communication  (IEC)  campaign

What is Different?

• For the first time, segregation at source is being stressed at
• Details of handling construction and demolition waste is being provided
• For the first time distances are mentioned for location of landfill site. It will be either determined after Environmental impact assessment by State Authority or 100 meter  away  from  river,  200  meter  from  a  pond,  500  meter  from Highways,  Habitations,  Public  Parks  and  water  supply  wells  and  20  km  away  from  Airports  or
• A buffer zone of no development shall be maintained around landfill sites and sites for processing and disposal of solid waste.
• Standards for composting, incineration has been provided for.

Solid Waste Management Rules was also provided for in 2000, but has mostly remained on papers. The stories of over filled dumping yards still being in use, is not new. The nearby residents have always complained about the bad smell and leachate sinking into the groundwater.

The issue is bigger where finding a landfill site nearby big cities is against ever expanding cities.

The effectiveness and action towards new rules will have to be seen.