SWM Rules 2026 guide
EBWGR certificates: what they are and how they work
EBWGR (Extended Bulk Waste Generator Responsibility) is how the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026 hold bulk waste generators responsible for what happens to their waste. A bulk waste generator buys certificates from its local body. They are measured in kilograms, are valid for three years and are issued only by the local body.
The price is not national: each urban local body notifies its own.
How EBWGR works, step by step
Confirm you are a bulk waste generator
Meet any one of 20,000 sq.m. of floor area, 40,000 litres of water a day or 100 kg of waste a day, in a listed category (Rule 3(1)(i)). Below the tests there is no EBWGR duty.
Register on the CPCB portal
Registration is with your local body through swm.cpcb.gov.in (Rules 6(a) and 16). Certificates are issued and recorded on the same portal.
Hand waste to the local body or the agency it authorises
Dry, sanitary and special care waste goes to the local body or an agency it authorises (Rule 6(b)). The certificate quantity follows what the local body collected and sent to registered processors or recyclers.
Procure certificates from the local body
Only the local body issues certificates, on the portal, measured in kilograms (Rules 10(1) and 10(3)). The price is notified by your urban local body.
Report them in your annual return by 30 June
The return covers the EBWGR obligation, including certificates procured against the total solid waste calculated for you (Rules 6(h) and 20(1)).
EBWGR at a glance
Who buys
Bulk waste generators only
Who issues
The local body, on the CPCB portal
Unit
Kilograms of waste
Validity
Three years
Not sure whether you are a bulk waste generator? Read the three tests or pick your type under SWM Rules 2026 for your organisation.
Find out whether EBWGR applies to you
Run the free gap check for your organisation type. It works out whether you are a bulk waste generator, shows what is in place and what is missing, and needs no sign-up to see your gaps.
Share this guide with your committee or team
Send it to your committee, team or neighbouring organisation.
Frequently asked questions
What is an EBWGR certificate?
EBWGR stands for Extended Bulk Waste Generator Responsibility. A certificate is the portal record that a quantity of your waste, in kilograms, was collected by the local body and sent to registered processors or recyclers. It works on the same idea as extended producer responsibility, applied to bulk waste generators.
Who has to buy EBWGR certificates?
Bulk waste generators: organisations in a listed category that meet any one of 20,000 sq.m. of floor area, 40,000 litres of water a day or 100 kg of solid waste a day. Every bulk waste generator must fulfil EBWGR for dry, sanitary and special care waste (Rule 6(e) and (f)), and for wet waste it does not process on site (Rule 6(d)).
Who issues EBWGR certificates?
Only the local body, on the centralised portal (Rule 10(1)). A private waste contractor, recycler or processor does not issue them. For wet waste, certificates are generated only after the registered processing facility reports receipt and processing on the portal (Rule 10(4)).
How is EBWGR measured?
In kilograms. The quantity issued equals the kilograms of waste the local body collected, transported and sent to registered processors or recyclers (Rule 10(3)).
How long is an EBWGR certificate valid?
Three years (Rule 10(6)).
What does an EBWGR certificate cost?
There is no national price. Each urban local body notifies the price in its bye-laws, after State or UT approval and based on CPCB norms (Rules 10(7), 39(37) and 39(38)(ii)). Ask your local body for the notified rate in writing.
If we compost all our wet waste on site, do we still need EBWGR?
Yes, for your other streams. On-site composting or bio-methanation meets the wet-waste duty, so wet waste drops out of your certificate quantity, but EBWGR still covers the dry, sanitary and special care waste you hand over. Only existing bulk waste generators may take an exemption from on-site processing; new ones must process all wet waste on site.
Our local body is not issuing certificates yet. Are we non-compliant?
The obligation exists, but you cannot buy a certificate the local body does not yet issue. Register on the portal, keep a written record of your requests to the local body, keep weighed records and handover receipts, and process as much wet waste on site as you can. A documented good-faith effort is your strongest position if compliance is questioned.
Can EarthReheal buy or file EBWGR certificates for us?
No. EarthReheal is not a government body and does not file on the CPCB portal on your behalf. The portal is where registrations are made and returns are filed. EarthReheal is where the daily work behind them is done and recorded.
Related guides
Sources
This is EarthReheal's plain-language summary, reviewed October 2026, for general information. It is not legal advice. Read the notified text and confirm with your local body, State Pollution Control Board or a qualified adviser before relying on it. EarthReheal is not a government body and does not file on the CPCB portal for you.