Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
The Supreme Court has issued a series of directions to tackle India’s growing solid waste problem, stressing that laws alone cannot change public behaviour and that citizens must take responsibility for the garbage they generate.
A bench of Justices SVN Bhatti and NV Anjaria flagged what it called a “regrettable attitude” towards waste management, with people believing they have the right to generate waste but not the responsibility to segregate, store and dispose of it properly. The court said every individual, household and institution has a duty to manage the waste it generates.
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The directions came while the court examined the implementation of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2026. The proceedings, which began with environmental compliance issues involving the Bhopal Municipal Corporation, were later expanded nationwide.
MAKE STUDENTS WASTE MANAGEMENT TRAINERS: SC
The court directed the Departments of School Education and Higher Education to immediately integrate theoretical and practical lessons on solid waste management into the curriculum.
Students will be encouraged to educate their families, while teachers will be trained as trainers. The court said trained students could function as household-level supervisors.
The bench observed that “an educated child is the most effective and least coercive instrument” for educating parents or relatives about waste management.
It also directed district education departments to conduct periodic audits of the training programme, while expressing concern over the slow pace of awareness programmes in schools and colleges.
‘EVERY CITIZEN GENERATES WASTE’
The Supreme Court said the scale and complexity of waste in India have outgrown what sanitary workers alone can be expected to handle. India’s population exceeds 1.4 billion, and every person, household and institution generates solid waste as an inevitable part of daily life and economic activity. The waste includes biodegradable and non-biodegradable material as well as hazardous, electronic and construction waste.
The court said the assumption that waste is solely a problem for sanitation workers, while the rest of society remains passive, is neither legally correct nor practically sustainable.
It stressed that every waste generator has a duty to segregate, safely store and hand over waste in accordance with the rules. “Law can secure cooperation only by prescribing rules and consequences. It cannot, by itself, generate civic behaviour,” the bench said, stressing that compliance will improve only when individuals and institutions internalise their responsibility.
WASTE SYSTEM NEEDS AUDIT, UPGRADE
The court said the country’s waste management infrastructure requires a complete audit and upgrade to meet the standards prescribed under the SWM Rules, 2026.
It also pointed to the “unorganised sector” of residential, commercial and business establishments as a major challenge in ensuring compliance.
District Collectors have been given a key role in implementing the rules. The court directed them to identify all bulk waste generators (BWGs) in their jurisdictions, in coordination with local bodies, within six weeks.
Local bodies have also been directed to communicate the obligations of bulk waste generators, including segregation, safe storage and proper handover of waste.
WATER, POWER CUT THREAT FOR VIOLATORS
The court said non-compliant bulk waste generators could face temporary disconnection of water and electricity by the District Collector’s special cell. Services can be restored after submission of a compliance certificate.
Authorities have also been directed to act on complaints of illegal dumping and maintain compliance reports, including consideration of geotagged photographs of garbage accumulation.
The court cautioned against relying indefinitely on state supervision and penalties, saying lasting change requires citizens and institutions to internalise their obligations.
It also directed the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee to focus on pollution of rivers and other water bodies by municipal solid waste. The bench said the mounting garbage problem cannot be solved by government agencies or sanitation workers alone and requires participation from every citizen, household and institution.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
