New solid waste management rules: Sanitation workers may refuse to collect unsegregated waste of your households | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Sanitation workers of your neighbourhood may refuse to collect unsegregated waste from your premises and may even levy fines on residential complexes or any other bulk waste generators for not segregating biodegradable or non-biodegradable (plastic, metal, glass etc.) solid waste at source, from October 1 next year.
The Union environment ministry has come out with a draft of Solid Waste Management Rules 2024, enlisting duties of civic bodies in both urban and rural areas where these entities can “empower ‘safai karamcharis’ to levy fines/penalty on unsegregated waste and to refuse collection”.
“The Rules will be finalised by early next year after considering the views of stakeholders in the next 60 days. It’ll come into force from October 1, 2025,” said a ministry official.
The Rules, published last Saturday, seek to make it mandatory for all gated communities, hotels, restaurants, market associations and institutions with more than 5,000 sqm area to ensure segregation of waste at source by the generators, facilitate collection of segregated waste in separate streams, and handover recyclable material to either the authorised waste pickers or the authorised recyclers.
“The bio-degradable waste shall be processed, treated and disposed of through composting or bio-methanation within the premises as far as possible. The residual waste shall be given to the waste collectors or agency as directed by the local body,” said the draft Rules.
Besides enlisting duties of different ministries/departments and civic bodies, the ministry through these rules also formulate guidelines on how to use solid waste in economic activities including ‘waste to energy’ process and product manufacturing through circularity.
“Unlike the existing rules which center around what to do with the solid waste, the proposed ones also focus on how to manage these waste using market-based mechanisms as part of the circular economy,” said the official.
The rules make provisions of environmental compensation (penalty) based upon the polluter pays principle on persons/entities who do not comply with their mandated tasks.
The proposed rules also have detailed guidelines on managing agri-residue such as paddy stubble and other farm waste in rural areas where it will be the responsibility of gram panchayats to ensure that “there are no instances of burning of agriculture & horticulture waste and levy heavy penalty on persons involved in open burning of agriculture & horticulture waste”.
These provisions will be helpful in managing paddy stubble particularly in Delhi-NCR where the episodes of biomass burning substantially contribute to air pollution during every winter season.