Lok Sabha Question No. 2347 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-04
Subject: Waste Management
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Shri Janardan Singh Sigriwal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2347

TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.08.2025

## Waste Management

## 2347.   SHRI JANARDAN SINGH SIGRIWAL:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) the  plan  and  policies  of  the  Government  to  manage  waste  disposal  system  in  each district of the country to reduce carbon emissions in small cities;
- (b) whether the Government has conducted any research and development in the field of sustainable waste disposal system near waste landfill areas to improve cleanliness and reduce toxic gases in the area;
- (c) if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) if  not,  the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  and  the  policy  formulated  for  revival  of landfill in each city in this regard?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

(a) to (d): The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change notified the various waste management rules under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, for environmentally sound management  of  wastes  viz.  (i)  Solid  Waste  Management  Rules,  2016,  (ii)  Plastic  Waste Management Rules, 2016, (iii) Bio-medical Waste Management Rules, 2016, (iv) Environment (Construction  and  Demolition)  Waste  Management  Rules,  2025,  (v)  Hazardous  and  other wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016, (vi) E-waste Management Rules,  2022,  (vii)  Battery  Waste  Management  Rules,  2022,  (viii)  Environment  Protection (End-of-Life Vehicles) Rules, 2025.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) has been implemented to promote Circular Economy in plastic packaging waste, waste tyres, battery waste, E-waste, used oil, End-of-life vehicles, construction and demolition waste, and non-ferrous metal scrap.

The statutory framework for environmentally sound management of solid waste in the country is provided by Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. Under the rules, the local authorities and village panchayats are responsible for solid waste management. The Schedule I of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, provides specification for sanitary landfills, which includes landfill  gas  control  system  to  minimize  odour  and  prevent  off-site  migration  of  gases  and measures for enhancing landfill gas recovery.

The rules also mandate local bodies to investigate and analyze all old open dumpsites and existing  operational  dumpsites  for  their  potential  of  biomining  and  bioremediation  and wheresover feasible, take necessary action to bio-mine or bio-remediate the sites.

Central Pollution Control Board has also issued guidelines for Disposal of Legacy Waste (Old Municipal Solid Waste). Also, directions under Section 5 of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, have been issued to all State Pollution Control Boards / Pollution Control Committees for enforcement of provisions of Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, regarding biomining of legacy waste.

The Central Government provides additional central assistance under Swachh Bharat Mission for solid waste management in urban and rural areas of the country including for small cities. Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0 (SBM-U 2.0) launched in October 2021 inter alia focusses on bio-remediation of all legacy dump sites.

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