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The bench was hearing appeals arising from orders of the National Green Tribunal concerning environmental compliance by the municipal corporation under the SWM rules.
he Supreme Court on Wednesday held that a child may be subjected to a paternity test in a matrimonial dispute if the husband seeks divorce alleging that his wife is of “unchaste character” and contends that he is not the biological father of the child | Image for representation
Supreme Court on Solid Waste: The Supreme Court expressed concern over the high volume of solid waste generated and the lack of civic sense in society and ordered a slew of directions for its management and disposal, saying the infrastructure for the purpose needs to be scaled up to meet the standards of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2026.
A bench of Justice SVN Bhatti and Justice NV Anjaria said waste-management infrastructure across the country needs to be audited and upgraded to meet the standards prescribed under the new rules.
The top court said that it was regrettable that the prevailing attitude in society was, “I am entitled to generate but not to cooperate and control the impact of solid waste management at the threshold.”
It said, “The volume and complexity of such waste, i.e., biodegradable, non-biodegradable, hazardous, electronic and construction, have outgrown what any single class of workers can be expected to absorb or handle. The infrastructure needs a complete audit and upgradation to meet the extant standards of the SWM Rules, 2026.”
The bench was hearing appeals arising from orders of the National Green Tribunal concerning environmental compliance by the municipal corporation under the SWM rules.
The bench said that solid waste was no longer limited to ordinary household garbage and now included biodegradable, non-biodegradable, hazardous, electronic and construction waste. The scale and complexity of such waste, it said, had gone beyond what sanitation workers alone could be expected to handle.
It further directed district collectors across the country to identify all bulk waste generators (BWGs) in their jurisdictions, in coordination with local bodies, within six weeks.
The Union Environment Ministry has also been directed to confer special powers on district collectors under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, enabling them to take action against violators.
The top court said consequences for non-compliance by bulk waste generators could include temporary disconnection of electricity or water supply until the waste generated by them complies with the SWM Rules, 2026.
“The SCMC, through the Chief Secretary(ies) of the State(s) directs the district collector(s) to communicate to all the bulk waste generators/BWGs the consequences of non-compliance with SWM Rules, 2026 which consequence would include temporary disconnection of power or water supply until the waste generated by the bulk waste generators conforms to the SWM Rules,” it said.
Special cells will also be set up in every district, with regional pollution control board officials as members, to monitor compliance and issue directions against violators.
Bulk waste generators include establishments generating more than 100 kg of waste per day, those with a built-up area exceeding 20,000 square metres, or establishments consuming more than 40,000 litres of water daily. Large hotels, malls, hospitals, commercial complexes and big residential societies can fall under this category.
“Continued complacency will lead to pandemic and endemic situations. With this in mind, Rule 4 of the SWM Rules, 2026 casts the duty of segregation, safe storage and hand-over on every waste generator, a term covering every individual, household, institution and establishment,” it said.
The bench directed such establishments to put the required waste-processing facilities in place and submit their compliance reports online to local bodies for inspection and onward submission to district collectors.
The bench said compliance with waste-management rules remained weak among individuals and institutions, including schools, colleges, businesses, professionals and residential establishments.
It said merely creating committees and enforcement agencies would not be enough to tackle the continuing environmental hazards caused by improper waste disposal.
The Supreme Court also directed the school and higher education departments to integrate theoretical and practical knowledge of solid waste management into education.
The aim, the court said, should be to train students so that they can also encourage better waste-management practices in their families. Teachers should also be prepared as trainers.
The court further asked district collectors to increase the participation of elected representatives of wards in gram panchayats, municipalities and corporations in implementing the waste-management rules.
(With inputs from agencies)
Key Questions Answered
Ask News18The new Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2026, will impact citizens’ daily lives by requiring them to segregate waste into four categories: wet, dry, sanitary, and special care waste. Failure to segregate waste could result in fines. The rules also aim to reduce plastic waste and promote a circular economy by focusing on reuse, recycling, and resource recovery.
Ask News18About the Author
Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre…Read More
August 20, 2026, 09:38 IST
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