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Under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, a sanitary landfill may receive only residual material: "non-usable, non-recyclable, non-biodegradable dry waste, non-combustible, non-energy recoverable dry waste, non-reactive inert waste, pre-processing rejects and residues from waste processing facilities, residual waste and inerts". No wet waste or construction and demolition waste may be disposed of in it (Rule 14(4)). Unsegregated, recyclable or energy recoverable waste, unprocessed wet waste and construction and demolition waste that arrives at the site must be sent on by the operator to the respective processing facilities (Rule 14(4), second proviso).
The operator must also register on the centralised portal, file an annual return on the quantum of waste deposited by 30 June every year, and submit a quarterly report on the operation of the landfill to the District Magistrate and on the portal (Rules 14(8) and 14(10)). The site itself must meet the specifications for sanitary landfills in Schedule II (Rules 14(3) and 39(49)), which the State Pollution Control Board monitors (Rule 41(1)(ii)).
What may and may not be landfilled
| May be disposed of in a sanitary landfill (Rule 14(4)) | May not be disposed of |
|---|---|
| Non-usable, non-recyclable, non-biodegradable dry waste | Wet waste (Rule 14(4)) |
| Non-combustible, non-energy recoverable dry waste | Construction and demolition waste (Rule 14(4)) |
| Non-reactive inert waste | Non-recyclable waste with a calorific value of 1500 Kcal/kg or more (Rule 13(1)) |
| Pre-processing rejects and residues from waste processing facilities | Bio-medical waste, hazardous waste and e-waste: outside these rules (Rule 2) and not in the Rule 14(4) list; Schedule II, A(x) points to their own rules |
| Residual waste and inerts |
The rules allow a transition. Until adequate waste processing facilities are in place, the concerned department is to notify a sanitary landfill user fee, on weight basis, on the local body or its concessionaire for unsegregated waste, recyclable or energy recoverable waste, unprocessed wet waste and construction and demolition waste sent to the landfill; after that, unsegregated waste cannot be disposed of there (Rule 14(4), first proviso). That fee must be higher than the collection, transportation and processing costs (Rule 14(5)). Where the landfill operator has no linkage with waste processing, the local body or its concessionaire is not permitted to deposit such waste at the operational landfill (Rule 14(4), third proviso).
Urban local bodies carry the matching duty: they "shall allow only the non-usable, non-recyclable, non-biodegradable, non-combustible and non- reactive inert waste and pre-processing rejects and residues from waste processing facilities to go to sanitary landfill" (Rule 39(49)).
The operator's duties under Rule 14
| Duty | Rule |
|---|---|
| Register under the rules on the centralised portal | 14(8) |
| File annual returns in the prescribed proforma on the quantum of waste deposited, on the portal, by 30 June every year | 14(8) |
| The landfill must be operated in an environmentally sound manner as per Central Pollution Control Board guidelines (the rule does not name the duty-holder) | 14(9) |
| Submit a quarterly report on details of operation to the District Magistrate and on the centralised portal | 14(10) |
| Send unsegregated, recyclable or energy recoverable waste, unprocessed wet waste and construction and demolition waste for further processing | 14(4), second proviso |
| Charge fees for inerts and other allowed waste, in accordance with Central Pollution Control Board guidelines and State Pollution Control Board recommendations, at rates determined by the State department | 14(6) |
Two further reporting duties fall on the landfill operator. Any tipping fee paid is to be reported in the annual return filed by the landfill operator (Rule 39(50)). Road sweeping dust collected and deposited at the landfill "shall be reported by the landfill operator on the centralised online portal" (Rule 39(33)). In case of an accident at a landfill site, the officer in charge must report to the local body in Form VI (Rule 21). Our annual returns briefing sets out every filing deadline under the rules.
Oversight: audit, the District Magistrate and authorisation
- Audit. "The concerned State Pollution Control Board or the Pollution Control Committee or an registered environment auditor, shall undertake audit on the operation of sanitary landfill" for environmentally sound disposal, as per Central Pollution Control Board guidelines. The audit report for a financial year is uploaded on the portal by the State Pollution Control Board or Pollution Control Committee by 31 December of the next financial year (Rule 14(7)). The operator is the subject of the audit, not its author.
- District Magistrate. The District Magistrate "shall ensure that the Sanitary Landfill is operated as per provisions of these rules" (Rule 14(11)).
- Authorisation. Urban local bodies apply in Form I to the State Pollution Control Board or Pollution Control Committee for authorisation of processing, treatment or disposal facilities, including sanitary landfills, where the volume of waste exceeds five metric tonnes per day (Rule 39(25)). The Board issues authorisation in Form II within sixty days (Rule 41(1)(v)) and monitors compliance not less than once a year (Rule 41(1)(xi)).
- Who sets up the landfill. State departments identify land on a regional or cluster approach (Rule 14(1)), the district land allocation department makes it available to the concessionaire or third party identified by the State (Rule 14(2)), and the local body identifies eligible agencies to establish, operate and maintain the landfill as per Schedule II, following the timeline in Schedule I (Rule 14(3)).
What Schedule II requires of the site
Schedule II, "Specifications for Sanitary Landfills", is the operating standard. Its main heads are:
| Head | Selected requirements |
|---|---|
| A. Site selection | Distances from rivers, ponds, highways, habitations, public parks, water supply wells and airports or airbases; no landfill in flood plains as recorded for the last hundred years, coastal regulation zones, wetlands, critical habitat areas or sensitive eco-fragile areas; a construction plan and closure plan; temporary storage for use when processing is not operating |
| B. Facilities at the site | Fencing and a gate to monitor incoming vehicles; a waste inspection facility; a weighbridge; fire protection equipment; worker sanitation and health inspections; "The operator of the facility shall maintain record of waste received, processed and disposed." |
| C. Landfilling and closure | Compaction in thin layers; daily cover at the end of each working day; intermediate cover before the monsoon; a specified final cover |
| D. Pollution prevention | Storm water diversion; a non-permeable lining system at the base and walls, with a composite liner where the landfill receives processing residues, mixed waste or waste contaminated with hazardous materials; leachate collection and treatment, and "In no case, leachate shall be released into open environment." |
| E. Water quality | Baseline groundwater data before establishment, and periodic monitoring within 50 metres of the periphery across summer, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons |
| F. Ambient air | A landfill gas control and collection system; methane not above 25 per cent of the lower explosive limit; gas used or flared, with passive venting only where neither is possible; regular ambient air monitoring |
| G. Plantation | A vegetative cover over the completed site and green belts around the boundary |
| H. Post-closure care | "The post-closure care of landfill site shall be conducted for at least fifteen years", covering the final cover, leachate collection, groundwater and the landfill gas system |
Operators should read the full Schedule against their authorisation conditions; the summary above is not a substitute for its specifications. Our sanitary landfill reference also covers the siting criteria.
Waste that falls under other rules
The SWM Rules 2026 do not cover industrial waste, hazardous waste, hazardous chemicals, bio-medical waste, e-waste, battery waste or radioactive waste (Rule 2). Schedule II repeats that bio-medical waste, hazardous waste and e-waste are to be managed under their own rules. For a landfill operator, that typically means:
- Hazardous material found in incoming loads: the hazardous waste rules.
- Electronics and batteries found in incoming loads: the e-waste rules and the battery waste rules.
- Leachate treatment and discharge: may require consent under the water law; see our leachate reference.
- Landfill gas flaring or utilisation: may require consent under the air law; see our landfill gas reference.
A practical checklist
- Confirm the landfill's registration on the centralised portal and the authorisation under which it operates.
- Inspect and weigh every incoming load, and record its source and the waste category.
- Record each load turned away or sent on for processing under the second proviso to Rule 14(4), and where it went.
- Keep records of waste received, processed and disposed, as Schedule II requires.
- Diary the quarterly report to the District Magistrate and the portal, and the annual return for 30 June.
- Record tipping fees and road sweeping dust deposited, for the annual return and the portal.
- Maintain groundwater, leachate and landfill gas monitoring records across the seasons Schedule II names.
- Keep the records the auditor will need under Rule 14(7) in one place.
- Plan post-closure care for at least fifteen years.
How EarthReheal WasteLedger supports landfill operators
The EarthReheal WasteLedger landfill pack covers SWM alongside other rules that can apply to landfill operators, including landfill gas, leachate treatment, groundwater monitoring, hazardous waste, applicable tribunal orders and fire safety. Setup questions about the premises switch the relevant rules and checks on or off, including the three levels of SWM obligation for the operator's own waste. Each check is assigned to the responsible member of staff, and photographs taken in the app carry the device capture time and location.
Handovers are recorded against the receiving partner, and each partner's registration and licence expiry are tracked. The annual return is linked to the daily records, with reminders 90, 30 and 7 days before the deadline.
To see the obligations covered for landfill operators, see the landfill compliance pack. For a walkthrough of how the pack applies to your site, book a demo.
This briefing is general information, not legal advice. Rule references are to the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026 (S.O. 388(E)) as published in the Gazette of India on 28 January 2026. For the full text of each obligation, see the SWM Rules 2026 rule reference.
Sources
- Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026 (S.O. 388(E), Gazette of India Extraordinary, 28 January 2026) — Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
- Centralised Online Portal for Solid Waste Management — Central Pollution Control Board
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