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Managing wastes

Managing wastes the Union ministry of environment and forests ( mef ) has brought out a much-needed and promising draft for management of Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998. It is currently being discussed with the ministry of urban development, prior to its notification.

Once the notification is issued, the municipal authorities or any other authority responsible for disposal of municipal solid wastes will be liable to handle and dispose of the wastes in accordance with mef rules, according to sources in the ministry. These rules have been crafted to ensure proper management of these wastes to maintain proper hygienic and sanitary conditions in the cities and towns for the protection of human health.

The state pollution control boards in the states and, in case of Union territories ( ut s), the pollution control committees will be notified of the new rules for the purpose of monitoring compliance with the standards and norms prescribed under the rules. The notified authorities will be responsible for the implementation of these rules in their respective states/ ut s. These authorities will then submit an annual review report to the mef before May 15 each year.

The rules comprise collection of waste, its storage, transportation, processing and disposal with the overall objective of improving sanitary conditions. Littering shall also be prohibited in cities and towns. According to the draft rules, this will be made possible by organising house-to-house collection of garbage through any of the following methods: containerised collection, community bin collection, house-to-house collection on regular pre-informed timings and scheduling by using bell ringing/musical vehicle.

The draft states that wastes from commercial areas, including hotels, restaurants and office complexes will also be regulated. Wastes that are biodegradable in nature

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