India’s waste rules, explained in plain English.

The four streams every household and business must separate

Under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, waste must be separated at source into wet, dry, sanitary and special-care waste. Other categories, such as e-waste, construction debris, bio-medical and industrial hazardous waste, have their own rules and must never be mixed with household waste.

Are you a bulk waste generator?

What bulk waste generators must do

• Separate waste into the four streams and store each separately.
• Process wet waste on site, for example with a composter or biogas unit, or obtain Extended Bulk Waste Generator Responsibility (EBWGR) certificates.
• Hand dry, sanitary and special-care waste only to authorised collectors and processors.
• Register on the centralised CPCB portal and file an annual return by 30 June each year.

Typical bulk waste generators include large housing societies, offices and IT parks, hotels, malls, hospitals, universities and industrial units. Ask us to check your premises.

Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026

Notified 27 January 2026 · In force from 1 April 2026 · Replaces the SWM Rules, 2016

The main rules for everyday waste from homes, businesses and institutions. They make four-stream segregation mandatory and add new duties for bulk waste generators.

• Waste must be separated at source into four streams: wet, dry, sanitary and special care.
• Bulk waste generators must process wet waste on site or obtain Extended Bulk Waste Generator Responsibility (EBWGR) certificates.
• Bulk waste generators register on a centralised CPCB portal and file an annual return by 30 June.
• Landfills are restricted to non-recyclable and inert waste.
• Industries must raise their use of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in stages, from 5% to 15% over six years.
• Environmental compensation applies on the polluter-pays principle.

Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 (as amended)

EPR Guidelines 2022 · Amendment Rules notified 31 March 2026

Producers, importers and brand owners (PIBOs) are responsible for collecting and recycling the plastic packaging they put on the market, through registration on the CPCB EPR portal.

• Identified single-use plastic items have been banned since 1 July 2022.
• PIBOs must register on the CPCB EPR portal and meet annual recycling targets.
• The 2026 amendment sets recycled-content targets for rigid plastic packaging, rising from 30% in 2025–26 to 60% by 2028–29.
• Urban local bodies and Panchayats are empowered to enforce the rules.

E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022

In force since 1 April 2023 · Amended March 2024

Manufacturers and producers of electrical and electronic equipment have EPR recycling targets, and only CPCB-registered recyclers and refurbishers may process e-waste.

• EPR applies to 106 categories of electrical and electronic equipment.
• Businesses must hand e-waste only to registered producers, recyclers or refurbishers.
• EPR certificates are traded within a price band linked to environmental compensation.

Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016 (as amended)

Amended 2018, 2019 and April 2026

Hospitals, clinics, labs and other healthcare units must segregate bio-medical waste by colour code and hand it to an authorised Common Bio-medical Waste Treatment Facility (CBWTF).

• Healthcare units need authorisation from the State Pollution Control Board.
• Bio-medical waste must be treated only at authorised CBWTFs.

Environment (Construction and Demolition) Waste Management Rules, 2025

Notified April 2025 · In force from 1 April 2026 · Replaces the C&D Rules, 2016

Builders and developers of large projects now carry Extended Producer Responsibility for the construction and demolition waste they generate.

• EPR applies to projects with a built-up area of 20,000 square metres or more.
• Obligations are met through certificates from registered C&D waste recyclers on a CPCB portal.
• Targets for using recycled C&D material start from 2026–27.

Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016

Amended July 2025 (in force 1 April 2026)

Industries that generate, store, transport or treat hazardous waste need State Pollution Control Board authorisation and must move waste under the manifest system to authorised facilities.

• Hazardous waste goes only to authorised Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities (TSDFs) or recyclers.
• The 2025 amendment adds EPR for non-ferrous metal scrap.

The numbers behind the rules

Glossary

Bulk waste generator (BWG)

An entity with 20,000 sq m or more of built-up area, water use of 40,000 litres a day or more, or solid waste of 100 kg a day or more, under the SWM Rules, 2026.

EBWGR

Extended Bulk Waste Generator Responsibility. Certificates a bulk waste generator can obtain when it cannot process its wet waste on site.

EPR

Extended Producer Responsibility. The duty of producers, importers and brand owners to ensure the products and packaging they sell are collected and recycled.

PIBO

Producer, Importer or Brand Owner: the businesses that carry EPR for plastic packaging.

MRF

Material Recovery Facility. A site where mixed dry waste is sorted into recyclable materials.

RDF

Refuse-derived fuel. Fuel made from combustible, non-recyclable dry waste, used in cement kilns and boilers.

CBWTF

Common Bio-medical Waste Treatment Facility. An authorised plant that treats bio-medical waste from healthcare units.

TSDF

Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facility. An authorised site for hazardous industrial waste.

ULB

Urban local body, such as a municipal corporation, municipal council or Nagar Panchayat.

CTE / CTO

Consent to Establish and Consent to Operate. Approvals from the State Pollution Control Board (UPPCB in Uttar Pradesh).

BRSR

Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report. The ESG disclosure required of large listed companies in India.

C&D waste

Construction and demolition waste such as concrete, bricks, tiles and soil, also called malba.