National rules, municipal amounts
The Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 apply across India. They make segregation at source mandatory and require urban local bodies to levy a user fee for collection and a spot fine for littering or failing to segregate.
But the amount is not in the Rules. Each urban local body sets it in its own bye-laws, and its officers are delegated the power to levy it.
That is why the figures online do not agree. Most are correct, just for a different city. Your own municipal corporation’s bye-laws are what apply to you.
Segregation at source is mandatory
This is the biggest change the Rules made and the least observed part of them.
Waste has to be separated at home into wet waste, dry waste, and sanitary or domestic hazardous waste, and handed over separately.
The Rules make specific provision for sanitary napkins and diapers. These must be wrapped and handed over separately rather than mixed into dry waste.
Burning is prohibited just as firmly
The Rules stipulate zero tolerance for throwing, burning or burying waste on streets, in open public spaces outside the generator’s premises, in drains or in water bodies.
Notice that throwing and burning sit in the same sentence. Open burning is very common and often treated as a solution, when the Rules prohibit it just as firmly.
Beyond the law, smoke from burning household waste, plastic especially, reaches the nearest residents directly, usually children and the elderly.
Where to report it
- The municipal corporation’s health or sanitation department, which enforces the bye-laws
- The ward office or local councillor, the most direct route for accumulated waste
- The State Pollution Control Board, for large quantities or industrial waste
- If there is fire, heavy smoke or leakage, that is an emergency rather than a complaint
What a complaint should contain
- Exact location, with coordinates if possible. On an empty plot or an unpaved road an address alone is not enough
- Two photos: one close so the type of waste is visible, one wider so the place can be found again
- The type: construction debris, furniture, tyres, garden waste, drums, asbestos sheets
- Approximate quantity, with something in frame for comparison
- The date, and how long it has been there if you know
- Clues visible without digging: bills, labels, company names. There is no need to reach into the waste
What not to do
- Do not clear it before complaining and photographing, or the evidence is gone
- Do not touch drums, sealed sacks or sheets containing asbestos
- Do not burn it. That does not solve the problem, it adds one
- Do not add more on top. Once a spot exists, more arrives within days
Why a public record is useful
A cleared place becomes a dumping point again with surprising regularity. Such places repeat for structural reasons: a vehicle can get in, nobody watches at night, and the proper facility is far away.
One complaint produces one clearance. A record of the same place with dates and photographs is a different thing: it is the basis for asking for fencing, a camera, a board or a nearer waste centre. On CleanSpot each report keeps its photo, date and coordinates on a public map, and reopening the same place builds that record.
It does not take the place of a complaint to the municipal body, and we do not claim it does. It is the evidence the process usually lacks.
Sources
What is the fine for littering in India?
It depends on your city. The Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 require a spot fine to be levied, but the amount is set by each urban local body in its bye-laws. Check your municipal corporation’s bye-laws.
Why does every source give a different figure?
Because the Rules do not set the amount; the urban local body does. Most figures are correct, just for a different city.
Is waste segregation actually mandatory?
Yes. The Rules make segregation at source mandatory: wet, dry, and sanitary or domestic hazardous waste, kept separate.
Can I burn waste on my own premises?
The Rules state zero tolerance for throwing, burning and burying waste. The smoke also reaches your nearest neighbours directly.