New Waste Management Rules 2024: A Step Towards Cleaner Horizons

The government unveils the draft Solid Waste Management Rules 2024, proposing fines for open burning of agricultural waste and unsegregated waste. The rules emphasize waste segregation, empower sanitation workers, and focus on legacy waste remediation, extended producer responsibility, and waste-to-energy projects to ensure better waste management.

The government has announced a draft set of Solid Waste Management Rules 2024, introducing penalties for the open burning of agricultural waste and unsegregated trash. The move seeks to reduce hazardous air quality levels, especially prevalent in Delhi-NCR during winter months.

The draft rules, set to come into force on October 1 next year, require local bodies to ensure the absence of agricultural waste burning and apply substantial fines for non-compliance. Additionally, sanitation workers are being empowered to levy fines for unsegregated waste collection to promote better waste management practices.

By requiring waste segregation into four categories and mandating digital tracking systems, the government hopes to tackle legacy waste and strengthen the circular economy. Strategies like bioremediation for legacy waste and encouraging waste-to-energy projects are pivotal to these new regulations.

(With inputs from agencies.)