Waste Management Regulations and Laws in India

The concept of waste management starts with generation of waste and concludes with its final disposal, including processes like its storage, compilation, locomotion and processing. It is a basic public necessity and this service is provided by the respective urban local bodies. The Municipal Solid Wastes (Management & Handling) Rules, 2000 were the first such step which directed municipal authorities to take the appropriate and necessary steps for waste management in India. More such laws are needed and a system to check their enforceability has to be put in place too. A better regulatory framework for the protection of the environment through careful scrutiny of the waste disposal and generation is the need of the hour, and for that, an effective environmental legislation is required to this effect. This would also affect positively the quality of life and raise the basic standards of living in India.

This paper focuses on the existing and recommended laws to be implemented in primarily third world countries for safer and better waste management. The general public of India is currently living at a time of unprecedented economic growth and altering lifestyles. Unsanitary environment will amplify the divide between their expectations due to the rapidly changing perception of their being and where they belong and the prevailing conditions, resulting in plunging quality of life. The necessity of stricter laws regarding waste disposal and its management has never been greater. This paper would also compare the laws present in first world or developed countries to the ones active in under-developed countries thereby suggesting solutions and measures need to be taken for proper waste management and the amendments and new laws that may be required.