Govt forms rules on construction waste management

Traffic congestion caused by deposition of construction debris on roadsides may invite trouble in future as new draft rules on construction and demolition waste proposed by the government mandates every waste generator to ensure that there is no “littering”. The draft Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules 2015 proposed by the Environment Ministry also says that the waste generator will have to submit a construction and demolition waste management plan to the urban local bodies.

“Every waste generator shall see that there is no littering or deposition of construction and demolition waste in a manner which causes obstruction to the traffic or the public or drains,” the draft rules put up on the Environment Ministry website said. The penal provisions have, however, not yet been decided.

The draft also says that all the waste generator will have to pay relevant charges for collection, transportation, processing and disposal as notified by the concerned authorities. Environment Ministry has come out with rules for management of five types of wastes–solid waste including construction and demolition wastes, plastic, E-waste, bio-medical waste and for Fly ash.

According to PTI, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar had recently said his ministry was in the process of revising the rules and has asked for pubic comments till July 31. The draft also proposes that large waste generators will have to submit waste management plans and get appropriate approvals from the urban local body before starting construction, demolition or remodelling work. They also have to keep the concerned authorities informed regarding the relevant activities from the planning to implementation stage.

The waste generators will also have to ensure that different types of waste do not get mixed and are disposed of separately. “Large generators shall segregate this waste into four streams – concrete, soil, steel, wood and plastics and other construction and demolition waste such as bricks and mortar,” the draft rules propose. Every waste generator will have to keep the construction and demolition waste within the premises or get it deposited at a collection centre or hand it over to the authorized processing facilities.

Image Credit : Shutterstock