SC Orders NCR States to Act on Waste Segregation

28 Apr 2025 CW Team

The Supreme Court directed the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh to appoint senior nodal officers tasked with ensuring complete collection and segregation of municipal solid waste under the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2016.

A bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan ordered that the officers submit their first compliance report by September 1, 2025, with quarterly updates to follow. The court also instructed its registrar to forward all future filings to the bench handling this matter.

Stressing the importance of public awareness, the court asked the NCR states and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to launch extensive campaigns across print, electronic, and social media platforms. These campaigns must educate citizens about Rule 4 of the SWM Rules, which requires waste generators to segregate waste into biodegradable, non-biodegradable, and hazardous categories before disposal.

On the issue of construction and demolition debris, the bench referred to interim reports submitted by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM). It directed CAQM to gather data on enforcement actions taken by the authorities through July 2025 and to file a consolidated affidavit by September 1, 2025.

The court cautioned that without widespread publicity of waste segregation rules and strict enforcement of penalties, effective implementation would remain a distant goal. These directions are part of broader proceedings related to air pollution control in the NCR, where repeated non-compliance has previously led the court to consider imposing stricter measures.

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