Regulatory Regime for Waste Management: A Study with Special Reference to India

Generation of waste is one of the outcome of a progressive society and an unavoidable result of the industrial progress. India experiences significant challenges with respect to the environment and human health due to the issues relating to the production of waste, the process associated with its collection, segregation, transport of the wastes to a proper location, appropriate treatment, and finally, proper disposal. It cannot be denied that India faces major problems with waste management. A lot of waste is generated every day, and most of it is not effectively managed. And this leads to serious environmental issues and impacts public health. A full-bodied system of management setup is very necessary to ensure that development and sustainability should go hand in hand. In India, waste management is governed by the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEF), together with State Pollution Control Board and Central Pollution Control Board. Certain specific laws are also present to regulate waste in India. The National Environment Policy 2006 is significant in this, emphasising not only on disposal of waste but also recycling and treating it. A proper balance between economic growth and Environment protection is to be maintained along with the current practices related to the various waste management initiatives for environmental protection and human well-being.