State Govt Proposes Three-Bin Waste Segregation System
Officials said the move is aimed at improving waste segregation and processing at the source.
Hyderabad:The municipal administration and urban development (MA&UD) department has proposed a three-bin waste segregation system for the city, including CURE area in Hyderabad, to separately collect wet, dry and hazardous waste under the new Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules 2026.
The proposed system expands on the SWM 2016 framework, which was limited to urban areas, by bringing gram panchayats, gated communities and agricultural regions under its ambit. Officials said the move is aimed at improving waste segregation and processing at the source.
The 2026 rules introduce specific guidelines for horticulture and agricultural waste, including collection mechanisms, composting and a ban on open burning, which were not clearly defined in the earlier rules.
Bulk waste generators have been clearly defined under the new rules as entities with a floor area of 20,000 square metres or more, water consumption of 40,000 litres per day or more, or waste generation of at least 100 kg per day. These include government departments, public sector units, institutions, commercial establishments and residential societies. Under the extended bulk waste generator responsibility, such entities are accountable for the waste they generate.
The rules also provide for environmental compensation based on the ‘Polluter Pays’ principle in cases of non-compliance, including operating without registration, false reporting or improper waste management practices. The Central Pollution Control Board will issue guidelines, while State Pollution Control Boards and Pollution Control Committees will impose penalties.
Officials said the rules mandate measures such as use of incinerators, linkages with biomedical waste management systems, and bioremediation of legacy dump sites. They also introduce user fees and require the use of AI-based tracking and GIS systems for monitoring waste management.