Lok Sabha Question No. 6366 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-04-02
Subject: Waste Segregation at Source
Ministry: HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS
Asked by: Ms. Praniti Sushilkumar Shinde

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6366 TO BE ANSWERED ON APRIL 02, 2026

## WASTE SEGREGATION AT SOURCE

NO. 6366.  MS. PRANITI SUSHILKUMAR SHINDE:

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

- (a) whether the Government has taken note of the persistent problem of poor waste segregation at source and indiscriminate dumping of garbage on streets and public spaces in urban areas across the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the status of implementation of mandatory source segregation of waste by  households,  commercial  establishments  and  bulk  waste  generators under  the  Solid  Waste  Management  Rules,  2016  including  compliance levels reported by Urban Local Bodies (ULBs);
- (c) whether adequate penalties and enforcement mechanisms are in place to deter littering and illegal disposal of waste in public spaces and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  fix  individual  and  institutional responsibility for waste segregation at source including public awareness campaigns,  door-to-door  collection  systems  and  capacity-building  of ULBs; and
- (e) whether the Government proposes to strengthen monitoring, enforcement and  penalty  provisions  to  ensure  cleaner  cities  and  sustainable  urban waste management and if so, the details thereof?

## MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE (SHRI TOKHAN SAHU)

(a) : To deal with issues related to management of Municipal Solid waste such as poor waste segregation at source and indiscriminate dumping of garbage on streets and public spaces in urban areas across the country, Government of India launched Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban 2.0 (SBM-U 2.0) on October 1, 2021 with a vision of achieving Garbage Free Status for all  Urban  Local  Bodies  (ULBs)/cities  in  the  country  through  source segregation,  door  to  door  collection  and  scientific  management  of  all fractions of waste.

Under SBM-U 2.0, the provisions have been made to ensure large-scale awareness generation and citizen outreach to intensify the spirit of Jan Andolan and institutionalize sustainable swachh behaviour, drive behaviour  change  and  ensure  last-mile  participation  towards  achieving the vision of Garbage Free Cities.

Cities  are  being  encouraged  to  undertake  citizen-driven  campaigns, involving plog runs, ward-level cleanliness drives, and community participation  activities  to  enhance  visible  sanitation  outcomes,  Zero Waste  Events  and  promote  Zero  Waste  Colonies  are  being  promoted wherein mandatory source segregation, on-site composting and material recovery  are  demonstrated  to  ensure  litter-free  public  spaces.  Further, Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaigns such as Hara Geela, Sooka Neela are being intensified through ward-level drives, doorto-door  advocacy  by  sanitation  workers,  Swachhata  Doots,  Self-Help Groups, and RWAs, particularly in low-compliance areas.

(b) to (e): Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has notified the Solid Waste Management Rules on 8th April, 2016 under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 for proper and scientific management of Solid Waste.

As  per  the  SWM  Rules,  2016,  it  is  the  responsibility  of  the  local authorities  and  Panchayats  to  facilitate  construction,  operation  and maintenance of solid waste processing facilities and associated infrastructure, to arrange for door-to-door collection, create public awareness through information, education and communication campaign, educate the waste generators and to frame bye-laws related to levying of spot fine for persons who fail to comply with the provisions of these rules.

To  ensure  enforcement  SWM  (Rules),  2016,  Central  Pollution  Control Board  (CPCB)  has  issued  various  directions  to  all  SPCBs/PCCs  under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 for management solid waste, legacy waste, etc. All the direction issued by CPCB under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 are available at https://cpcb.nic.in/cpcb-directions-5ep.php.

MoEF&CC has notified the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026 on 27th January, 2026 under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, which shall come into effect from 1 April 2026.

The Rules introduce a strengthened framework for scientific solid waste management,  incorporating  principles  of  circular  economy,  Extended Bulk Waste Generator Responsibility (EBWGR), four-stream segregation at source,  restriction  on  landfilling,  and  utilisation  of  Refuse-Derived  Fuel (RDF).

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