Environmental Regulations for waste management in India

Waste management has become a major challenge these days, with the quantity of
waste multiplying at a fast rate and posing a grave threat to human health and environment.
Hence, there is a dire need to ensure proper handling and management at every stage of the
life cycle of waste, be it collection, segregation, and transportation, as well as
treatment/recycling and final disposal.
This article gives an overview of the regulatory framework available in the country
for the management of hazardous as well as other industrial and non-industrial waste. It also
provides a glimpse on the agencies responsible for the regulation of these wastes, both at the
central- and state-government levels.
Evolution of environmental law
The consideration of environmental problems started through the United Nations
Conference on the Human Environment, held in Stockholm in 1972, focused on
environmental problems and paved the way for legislation in India. This was followed by the
Water (Prevention and Control. of Pollution) Act 1981 and Cess Act, 1977; Air (Prevention
and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981; and Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
Hazardous waste
Hazardous waste mainly generate from Major industrial sectors, include organic and
inorganic chemicals, caustic soda, paints and dyes, asbestos, fertilizers, pesticides,
petrochemicals and refinery, and pharmaceuticals. The waste streams emanating from these
sectors contain some highly hazardous substances such as heavy metals, cyanides, pesticides,
complex aromatic compounds (such as polychlorinated biphenyls), and other chemicals that
exhibit inflammable, toxic, corrosive, reactive, and explosive properties.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has released the National Inventory of
Hazardous Waste Generating Industries and Hazardous Waste Management in India in March
2009, based on the information provided by the state pollution control boards (SPCBs). As
per the Inventory, in India, there are 36 165 hazardous waste industries, generating over 6.23
million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of hazardous waste, of which approximately 49.55% is
recyclable, 43.78% is landfillable, and 6.67% is incinerable.
Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh are the top three hazardous waste
generating states. The relative contributions by these states are 28.76%, 25.16%, and 8.93%,
respectively. Following these states, Chhattisgarh (4.74%), Rajasthan (4.38%), West Bengal
(4.17%), and Tamil Nadu (4.15 %) are found to be major generators of hazardous waste.
These seven states together generate over 80% of the country's total hazardous waste.
Hazardous Waste (Management, Handling and Tran boundary Movement)
Rules, 2008 Amendment July and September 2009
As per the 2008 rules, "hazardous waste" means any waste that by reason of its
physical, chemical, reactive, toxic, flammable, explosive, or corrosive characteristics causes
danger or is likely to cause danger to health or the environment, whether alone or when in
contact with other waste or substances and shall include (1) waste specified in schedule-I of
the regulation, (2) waste having constituents specified under schedule-II with 1CPCB

National Inventory of Hazardous Waste Generating Industries and Hazardous Waste

Management in India, March 2009. Transport of goods and services related also rules and
regulations came into picture.
Disposal of hazardous waste
Facilities for the disposal of hazardous waste in India are developing at a fast pace.
Common treatment, storage, and disposal facilities
Treatment, storage, and disposal facilities (TSDFs) have been developed for the disposal of
land-disposable hazardous waste at 22 different locations in 10 states, namely, Gujarat (7),
Maharashtra (4), Uttar Pradesh (3), Andhra Pradesh (2), Himachal Pradesh (1), Madhya
Pradesh (1), Punjab (1), Rajasthan (1), Tamil Nadu (1), and West Bengal (1).
Used oil versus waste oil
Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules Amendment, 2003, differentiated for
the first time between "used oil" and "waste oil.
"Used oil" means oil that is (1) derived from crude oil or mixtures containing synthetic oil,
including used engine oil, gear oil, hydraulic oil, turbine oil, compressor oil, industrial gear
oil, heat transfer oil, transformer oil, spent oil, and their tank bottom sludge, and (2) suitable
for reprocessing if it meets the specifications laid down in Part A of Schedule-V but does not
include waste oil.
"Waste oil" means oil that includes spills of crude oil, emulsions, tank-bottom sludge, and
slop oil generated from petroleum refineries, installations, or ships, and can be used as fuel in
furnaces for energy recovery, if it meets specifications laid down in Part B of Schedule-V
either as such or after reprocessing.
Co-processing of hazardous wastes
Co-processing is the use of waste materials in energy-intensive industries such as cement,
lime, steel, glass, and power generation to replace fossil fuels and natural resources. It helps
in the upgradation of waste management within the waste hierarchy, reducing global
environmental impacts, so as to maintain and improve the industrial competitiveness,
decreasing the costs of waste management and optimizing the use of resources. A number of
cement companies in India have started co processing a variety of hazardous waste in their
kilns.
Hazardous chemicals
Hazardous chemicals have been processed/stored by industries in India. The list varies from
petrochemicals and refineries to drugs and pharmaceuticals, pesticides, organic and inorganic
chemicals, and so on. The CPCB released "Compilation of Material Safety Data Sheet
(MSDS) for the 708+ Hazardous, Toxic and/or Flammable Chemicals" in February 2009.

Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemicals Rules, 1989: Amendments

1994 and 2000
The aspects of manufacturing, storage, and import of most of these chemicals are covered
under the Manufacture, Storage, and Import of the Hazardous Chemicals Rules, 1989:
Amendments 1994 and 2000. The regulation provides a comprehensive list of 684 chemicals
apart from laying down the criteria pertaining to physical and chemical characteristics.
Biomedical waste
Biomedical waste needs to be stringently managed in order to prevent human health hazards.
As per the information available has of March 2007), as any as 157 common biomedical
waste treatment facilities (CBWTF) exist in the country for the management of biomedical
waste of which 149 are currently operational, while eight are yet to be commissioned/are on a
trial basis/are under installation.
Biomedical Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998: Amendment 2003
The rules require that occupants of institutions (hospitals, nursing homes, clinics,
dispensaries, veterinary institutions, animal houses, pathological laboratories, blood banks,
and so on)generating biomedical waste take all steps to ensure that such waste is handled
without any adverse effect on human health or on the environment. The salient features of the
regulation are discussed in the subsequent sections.
Segregation, packaging, transportation, and storage
Biomedical waste should not be mixed with other types of waste.
Also, biomedical waste is to be segregated into containers/bags at the point of generation in
accordance with the segregation scheme provided in the schedule prior to its storage,
transportation, treatment, and disposal. Labelling of containers and the additional information
they must carry are also mentioned in the rules.
The rules forbid storage of an untreated biomedical waste beyond a period of 48 hours.
However, this is allowed in case it becomes necessary to store the waste beyond such period,
on taking permission from the prescribed authority and adopting measures to ensure
adversely affect human health and the environment.
Municipal solid waste
"Municipal solid waste", or MSW, includes commercial and residentia1 waste generated in
municipal or notified areas in either solid or semisolid form, excluding industrial hazardous
waste but including treated biomedical waste. Currently, MSW is being processed by
composting, biomethanation, converting waste to refuse-derived fuel to be used as fuel, and
through projects converting waste to energy.
Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000 The Municipal solid Waste
(Management and Handling) Rules, enacted in 2000, apply to every municipal authority

responsible for collection, segregation, storage, transportation, processing, and disposal of

MSW.
Every municipal authority shall, within the territorial area of the municipality.
The rules also lay down the responsibilities of the state governments and union territory
administrations, which are as follows:
The secretary in-charge of the Department of Urban Development of the state or the union
territory concerned, as the case may be, has the overall responsibility for the enforcement of
the provisions of these rules in metropolitan cities.
The district magistrate or the deputy commissioner of the district concerned has the overall
responsibility for the enforcement of provisions of these rules within the territorial limits of
his/her jurisdiction.
Responsibilities of the CPCB and the SPCB/SPCCs are as mentioned below:
The SPCB/SPCC has to monitor the compliance of standards regarding groundwater,
ambient air, leachate quality, and the compost quality, including incineration standards, as
specified in the relevant schedules in the rules.
Prior to issuing an authorization, the SPCB/SPCC has to consult other agencies like the
state urban development department, the town and country planning department, air port or
air base authority, the groundwater board or any other such agency.
The SPCB/SPCC has to issue an authorization to the municipal authority or the operator of a
facility within 45 days of stipulating the compliance criteria and standards, and any other
such conditions as may be necessary.