The Centre has introduced a revised waste management system effective April 1, mandating all households to segregate waste into four categories. The earlier two-bin system has now been replaced with a four-bin framework to separately handle wet, dry, sanitary, and hazardous waste.
The updated norms were notified in January by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026. As per the new guidelines, waste must be sorted into colour-coded bins.
Colour-coded bins:
- Green bin: For wet waste such as food scraps and vegetable peels
- Blue bin: For dry waste including plastic, paper, and packaging materials
- Red bin: For sanitary waste such as diapers and sanitary napkins
- Black bin: For hazardous waste including medicines, e-waste, and bulbs
The rules apply to all urban and rural local bodies, covering residential areas as well as industrial zones, SEZs, railway premises, airports, ports, defence establishments, religious sites, and both public and private properties.
Authorities have also introduced penalties for non-compliance. Citizens are required to securely wrap sanitary waste in designated pouches provided by manufacturers. Construction and demolition waste must be stored separately as and when generated.
Bulk waste generators, including large housing societies and institutions spread over more than 5,000 square metres, will now have to process wet waste on-site. The rules also strictly prohibit mixing biomedical waste with general solid waste.
Additionally, the revised framework incorporates the “polluter pays” principle, allowing authorities to impose environmental compensation for violations such as failure to segregate waste, incorrect reporting, and improper disposal practices.
Civic authorities have urged residents to follow basic measures such as proper segregation, timely disposal, avoiding open dumping, spreading awareness, and reporting violations to ensure effective implementation of the new system.
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