Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2026 | 29 Jan 2026

Source: IE 

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has notified the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2026, superseding the 2016 rules under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.  

• Effective from 1st April 2026, these rules enforce stricter waste segregation and accountability across both urban and rural local bodies. 
• Four-stream Segregation of Solid Waste at Source:  The SWM Rules, 2026 mandate four-stream segregation at source into Wet (kitchen waste, food leftovers, fruit & vegetable peels), Dry (plastic, paper, metal, glass), Sanitary (diapers, sanitary napkins), and Special Care waste (bulbs, batteries, medicines).  
  • Wet waste must be composted or bio-methanated, dry waste sent to Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) for recycling, sanitary waste securely wrapped and stored separately, and special care waste handed over only to authorised agencies or designated collection centres. 
• Polluter Pays Principle: Environmental compensation will be levied for non-compliance, with guidelines prepared by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and enforced by State Pollution Control Boards and Pollution Control Committees. 
• Bulk Waste Generators (BWG) Defined: Entities with a floor area of 20,000 square metres or more, water consumption of 40,000 litres/day, or waste generation of 100 kg/day are classified as BWGs. 
  • This covers residential societies, government buildings, and universities, which account for 30% of total waste. 
    • As per CPCB (2023–24), India generates about 1.85 lakh tonnes/day of solid waste. 
  • A Centralized Online Portal will track waste generation, collection, and disposal, replacing physical reporting with digital audits. 
• Extended Bulk Waste Generator Responsibility (EBWGR): The rules introduce a EBWGR, mandating bulk generators to process wet waste on-site or obtain a responsibility certificate if on-site processing is not feasible. 
• Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) Mandate: To promote circular economy industries (cement/waste-to-energy plants) must increase RDF usage from 5% to 15% over six years to replace solid fuels. 
  • RDF is a high-calorific fuel produced by processing non-recyclable municipal solid waste through shredding, drying, and pelletizing. It acts as a sustainable, eco-friendly alternative to fossil fuels in industries like cement kilns and waste-to-energy plants. 
• Landfill Restrictions: Landfills are strictly limited to non-recyclable and inert waste with higher fees applicable for depositing unsegregated waste. 
• Legacy Waste Management: Mandates time-bound biomining and bioremediation of old dumpsites with quarterly reporting. 
• Special Provisions for Hilly Areas: Local bodies in hilly regions and islands can levy user fees on tourists and regulate visitor inflow based on waste management capacity. 
• Institutional Mechanism: Committees at the State level, chaired by the Chief Secretary, will oversee implementation.