Lok Sabha Question No. 2173 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-12
Subject: Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016
Ministry: HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS
Asked by: Dr. D. Purandeswari

## MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2173 TO BE ANSWERED ON FEBRUARY 12, 2026

SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT RULES, 2016

NO.  2173. DR. D. PURANDESWARI:

Will the Minister of HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  laid  down  specific  rules  for  solid  waste management in urban areas under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016;
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with the categories of waste permitted to be sent to sanitary landfill sites under the said Rules;
- (c) whether the Rules promote recycling, reuse and minimisation of landfill waste through biomining and bio-remediation of dumpsites and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) the  measures  being  taken  by  local  authorities  to  implement  Waste  to Energy initiatives in line with these Rules; and
- (e) whether the Government is providing any technical or financial assistance to support such projects across Urban Local Bodies and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE

## MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS (SHRI TOKHAN SAHU)

(a)  to  (c):  Solid  Waste  Management  Rules,  2016  notified  by  Ministry  of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) shall apply to every urban local body, outgrowths in urban agglomerations, census towns as declared by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. As per rules local authorities shall allow only the non-usable, non-recyclable, non-biodegradable,  non-combustible  and  non-reactive  inert  waste  and pre-processing rejects and residues from waste processing facilities to go to sanitary landfill.

Under the rules the local authorities shall investigate and analyze all  old  open  dumpsites  and  existing  operational  dumpsites  for  their potential  of  biomining  and  bio-remediation  and  wheresoever  feasible, take necessary actions to bio-mine or bio-remediate the sites and every effort  shall  be  made  to  recycle  or  reuse  the  rejects  to  achieve  the desired objective of zero waste going to landfill.

Further, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has issued guidelines for Disposal of Legacy Waste and also issued directions to all State Pollution Control Boards / Pollution Control Committees  for enforcement  of  provisions  of  Solid  Waste  Management  Rules,  2016, regarding bio-mining of legacy waste.

(d) & (e): As per the 7th schedule of the constitution, sanitation is a state subject. It is the responsibility of State/ULBs to assess the shortfall, plan, design, execute and operate sanitation projects in the urban areas.

Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) supplements the efforts of States/UTs by providing policy directions, financial and technical support by  sharing  Manuals/Standard  of  Procedures  (SoPs)  on  Solid  Waste Management and issue various Advisories & Guidelines time to time for choosing appropriate technologies to manage solid waste.

Under Solid Waste Management (SWM) component of SBM-U 2.0, Central Share (CS) assistance is given to States/ UTs for establishing of various types of MSW management plants like, Waste-to-Compost (WtC), Wasteto-Energy (WtE), Bio-methanation, Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) and legacy waste dumpsites remediation, etc.

The selection of treatment technologies, is open to ULBs/State Governments.  Also,  State/UTs  opt  for  different  approaches  i.e.  cluster based or decentralised based on their resources, technology, topography, type of waste involved, climatic conditions etc.

Under SBM-U 2.0, WtE plants of 5128.74 TPD having project cost worth ₹911.14 crores and central share of ₹216.76 crores have been approved.

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