Policy & Guidelines
The local governments are mandated to manage the waste generated within their domain as per the prevailing rules under Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986, Kerala Municipality (Second Amendment) Act, 2023 and Kerala Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Act, 2024. As mandated in the Solid waste management Rules 2016, Govt. of Kerala constituted a State Level Advisory Board vide G.O (Rt) No. 140/2018/LSGD dated 16.01.2018. Kerala have also notified a State Policy on Solid Waste Management in terms of Rule 11 and 15 of Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. As notified in the policy, the State is adopting the following strategies for achieving sustainable waste management systems.
- Mandatory segregation of waste at source based on its primary characteristics
- Establish door to door collection of non-biodegradable waste from all sources for bulk handling and ensure their reuse and recycling to the maximum extent
- Aerobic or anaerobic processing of biodegradable waste at source (household & institutions) as far as possible
- Ensure decentralized community facilities for biodegradable waste that overflows from the source
- Promote modern centralized waste processing facilities in major cities using state of the art technologies
- Evolve a procedure for handling domestic hazardous waste and promote its implementation
- Promote provision of storage bins for dumping wet and dry waste by all vendors and institutions including shops, retail joints, supermarkets, hotels, hospitals, railway and bus stations for the use public
- Enforce captive waste management systems for the bulk waste generators
- Make use of the enabling environment created under the Haritha Kerala Mission to integrate the use of treated waste products, enhance organic agriculture and upkeep of fragile ecosystems
- Develop regional sanitary landfill facility to dispose of ultimately unusable materials
- Prevent or discourage single use and throw away materials
- Hygienic and aesthetic upkeep of public places by ensuring regular sweeping, cleaning and beautification
- Enable the reuse, recycle and value addition of construction and demolition waste
- Rationalize and strengthen the enforcement of rules and penalty provisions
- Promote automated grievance redressal system for citizen
- Undertake appropriate Information, Education, and Communication campaign
- Enforcement activities
- Coordinate appropriate capacity building programmes for stakeholders
- Develop appropriate community monitoring system for ensuring continuous improvement in waste management
- Network with academic and research & development institutions for updating of technologies and application protocols
- Enlarge the service provider domain through encouraging start-ups among professionals and skilled youth
- Grama panchayats in the state should mandatorily earmark of their plan fund for sanitation and waste management activities.
- Besides the entitlement under plan (Development) funds, LSGs are entitled for fund provisions under SBM (Gramin) and SBM (Urban)
- LSGIs can also formulate sanitation and waste management projects under Suchitwa Keralam Rural & Urban Schemes of Suchitwa Mission from the state plan.
Recognizing that different waste streams require specialized scientific management approaches and technologies, the state has published guidelines for the following waste management streams:
- Scrap Policy - Link to Doc
- Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) guidelines - Link to Doc
- Policy on private partnership - Link to Doc
- Guidelines for hair waste management - Link to Doc
- Guidelines for e-waste management - Link to Doc
- Policy amendments on Livestock Farm licensing - Link to Doc
- Poultry meat sale and waste management guidelines
- Household sanitary and Biomedical waste disposal
- C&D waste management guidelines
- Guidelines on Bio remediation of legacy dumpsites
- Poultry waste management at piggeries
- Material Collection Facility (MCF) Technical Guidelines
- Responsibilities of Bulk waste generators
