Rules 22 explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Rules 22 to 37 form Chapter V of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026. They allocate tasks to sixteen authorities: the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and its Central Monitoring Committee, other Union Ministries and Departments, State Urban and Rural Development Departments, and the District Magistrate, Collector or Deputy Commissioner. A separate notification, G.S.R. 371(E) of 18 May 2026, delegates the Central Government's section 5 powers to District Collectors for enforcing the Rules.
These Rules are current as amended up to their notification on 27 January 2026 (S.O. 388(E), in force 1 April 2026); no amendment found to 3 October 2026. Later amendments, CPCB guidelines and notifications should be checked. If you deal with a district authority, a State department or a Ministry programme in solid waste, our compliance advisory team can help you read the duties that bear on you.
Rule 22 makes the MoEFCC responsible for overall monitoring and sets up a Central Monitoring Committee. Rules 23 to 36 give duties to MoHUA, DDWS, fertiliser, agriculture, power, MNRE, skills, petroleum, finance, DPIIT, education, Panchayati Raj and the State urban and rural departments. Rule 37 makes the District Magistrate or Collector responsible for land, quarterly review of local bodies, inspection and landfill operation. G.S.R. 371(E) delegates the Centre's section 5 powers to all District Collectors for one year, only for these Rules.
Rule 22: MoEFCC and the Central Monitoring Committee
The Ministry is responsible for overall monitoring of the implementation of the Rules and constitutes a Central Monitoring Committee chaired by its Secretary, with officers not below Joint Secretary from MoHUA, DDWS, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Fertilizers, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Agricultural Research and Education, the CPCB, three State Boards, State urban and rural and local self-government departments, three urban local bodies, three district-level panchayati raj institutions, two industry associations and two subject experts. It meets at least once a year, may co-opt members and is reconstituted every three years (rule 22(2)).
Rules 23 to 36: who does what
| Rule | Authority | Main duties as printed |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs | Review States and local bodies at least annually; facilitate local body action plans and annual reports by 30 June; develop guidelines, projection and a waste-to-energy policy within one year; user fee guidelines including EBWGR certificate cost; set up MRFs in all cities per Schedule I; promote integration of waste pickers; training and technology review |
| 24 | Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation | Rural counterpart: review, State policy and strategy for rural areas, uploaded by 31 September 2026 as printed; MRFs in rural areas per Schedule I; user fee and EBWGR guidelines |
| 25 | Department of Fertiliser | Incentivise by-products; promote co-marketing of compost with chemical fertilisers in the ratio of 3 to 4 bags : 6 to 7 bags; report offtake of organic manure by 30 June |
| 26 | Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare | Fertilizer (Control) Order standards and guidelines for organic manure uploaded by 30 June 2026; testing laboratories in all districts by 30 September 2026 |
| 27 | Ministry of Power | Tariff for power from waste-to-energy plants and compulsory purchase by distribution companies |
| 28, 29 | MNRE; Skill Development | Promote recycling and disposal methods; certification and skill programmes |
| 30 | Petroleum and Natural Gas | Incentivise biogas plants and pipeline connectivity for Compressed Biogas plants |
| 31, 32 | Revenue; DPIIT | Duty and tax incentives may be given; DPIIT provides the National Single Window System for authorisation of processing facilities |
| 33, 34 | Education; Panchayati Raj | Solid waste management in school curriculum; rules to be included in bye-laws of rural local bodies |
| 35 | State Urban Development or municipal administration department | State policy and strategy within one year; viability gap funding; State Level Steering Committee on circular economy; common regional landfills for cities at 50 km or more; buffer zones for facilities of more than five tons per day; master plan provisions uploaded by 30 September 2026; separate space for segregation and processing in groups of over 200 dwellings or plots over 5,000 square meters; one-week campaign review in the fourth week of June each year |
| 36 | Rural Development or rural local self-government department | Rural State policy and strategy; nodal and co-nodal departments; viability gap funding; onboarding local bodies on the portal by 30 June 2026 and annual updates; district level waste processing parks under the District Collector; penalties for non-compliance; local regulations on rural household waste |
Rule 37: the District Magistrate, Collector or Deputy Commissioner
| Clause | Duty |
|---|---|
| (i) | Facilitate identification and allocation of land for processing and disposal facilities in the district, in coordination with the State urban and rural departments, and upload it on the portal by 30 June every year |
| (ii) | Review the performance of local bodies at least once a quarter on segregation, collection, sorting, processing, treatment and disposal, take corrective measures and upload minutes on the local body's portal |
| (iii) | Include prevention and control of pollution by solid waste in plans for economic and social development |
| (iv) | The District Collector or Sub Divisional Magistrate may undertake inspection or audit of processing or recycling facilities in their jurisdiction; the Collector shall ensure the sanitary landfill is operated per the Rules |
| (v) | Ensure urban rural convergence of sanitary landfills and common waste processing plants |
G.S.R. 371(E): delegation of section 5 powers
On 18 May 2026 the Central Government issued G.S.R. 371(E). It says that, "in exercise of the powers conferred by section 23 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and pursuant to the directions of the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India in Order dated the 5th May, 2026, in Civil Appeal No. 6174 of 2023", it "delegates the powers vested in it under section 5 of the Act to all the District Collectors across the country for a period of one year from the date of publication of this notification, exclusively for supervising, administering and implementing Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, within their jurisdictional limits". The delegation is "subject to the condition that the Central Government may revoke such delegation of powers in respect of District Collectors across the country or may itself invoke the provisions of section 5 of the Act, if in the opinion of the Central Government such course of action is necessary in public interest".
Section 5 is the Act's power to issue directions, including for closure, prohibition or regulation of an industry, operation or process and stoppage or regulation of electricity, water or other services. Its procedure is in section 5 of the Act and rule 4 of the EP Rules. Section 23 allows delegation of the Central Government's powers; see sections 22 to 26. The notification is limited in subject (these Rules only), in place (a Collector's own jurisdiction) and in time (one year from publication), and the Centre may revoke it. The text of the notification does not say more about how the powers are to be used, and a district authority's directions should be read against the notification and the Rules.
Who is affected
Local bodies and operators dealing with Collectors, State departments and Ministries; landowners and developers in master plan areas; fertiliser companies and power distribution companies; and any entity that may receive a district-level direction on solid waste.
Example
Greenfield Waste Solutions Private Limited operates a processing plant in a district. The Collector reviews local bodies quarterly under rule 37(ii) and may inspect the plant under rule 37(iv). After G.S.R. 371(E) the Collector is also the authority exercising the Centre's section 5 powers for these Rules within the district. If a direction arrives, the company reads it against the notification's limits and the Rules, and seeks advice on response and appeal.
Need help reading district or department directions?
A direction under these Rules can come from a Collector, a State Board or a department, each on a different footing. Our compliance advisory team can help you identify the source of power and plan the response.
Key takeaways
- The MoEFCC monitors through a Central Monitoring Committee that meets at least once a year.
- Sixteen authorities have printed duties, from MoHUA and DDWS to fertiliser, power and petroleum.
- The District Collector reviews local bodies quarterly, may inspect facilities and ensures landfill operation.
- G.S.R. 371(E) delegates section 5 powers to District Collectors for one year, only for these Rules, subject to revocation by the Centre.
- Several rule-printed dates fall in 2026, such as 30 June and 30 September 2026.
Read next
- Rules 38 to 41: CPCB, urban and rural local bodies and State Boards
- Rules 15 to 21: dumpsites, compensation, committees and reports
- Section 5 of the EP Act: directions, closure and appeal to NGT
- Sections 22 to 26 of the EP Act: delegation and rule-making
Disclaimer: Based on the environment rules, guidelines and notifications named above as published in the Gazette of India, read with every amendment notified up to 3 October 2026 that the article names (consolidated reading texts from the CPCB 2021 compilation and the Goa State Pollution Control Board 2025 compilation were checked against the amending notifications), as consulted on 3 October 2026. Later amendments, CPCB guidelines, State Board orders and fees should be checked. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.