Buyer’s guide
SWM compliance software: ten questions to ask any vendor
Before you buy software for the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, ask these ten questions of any vendor, including us. Under each is why it matters and how EarthReheal answers it today.
The ten questions
1. Does it start from the rules that apply to my organisation type?
Why it matters: A hotel, a hospital and a housing society do not share a rule book. Generic checklists miss what applies to you and include what does not.
EarthReheal: The free gap check covers 50+ organisation types and shows the waste rules and the other licensing and regulatory obligations that apply to your type.
2. Does it cover more than waste?
Why it matters: Inspectors ask about fire, lifts, electrical safety, consents and equipment licences as well as waste.
EarthReheal: The check separates waste-management rules from licensing and regulatory obligations beyond waste, such as FSSAI, fire, lifts, boilers, diesel generator stack reports and groundwater returns, depending on your type.
3. Is each task backed by evidence made at the time?
Why it matters: A register records what someone wrote down, often reconstructed when a return is due.
EarthReheal: Each completed task needs at least one photograph, stored with a digital fingerprint (SHA-256) and the time the phone reports it was taken, and its location is checked against your site.
4. Who decides when a task was completed?
Why it matters: If staff type the completion time, it is only as reliable as the person typing.
EarthReheal: The completion time is set by our server, not typed in.
5. Are approvals and corrections recorded?
Why it matters: You need to show who approved what, and that nothing was quietly changed afterwards.
EarthReheal: Approvals (worker, supervisor, manager) are recorded with who and when, rejected submissions are kept, and submitted evidence cannot be edited or deleted: a correction is a new version.
6. Does it work where there is no signal?
Why it matters: Waste work happens in basements, yards and plant rooms.
EarthReheal: Workers can complete their tasks without a signal; the completions upload when the phone reconnects. Supervisors’ reviews need a connection.
7. Does it file on the CPCB portal for me?
Why it matters: The portal is where registrations and returns are made. Some products prepare data for it. Filing on the portal is the organisation’s duty either way, and no product can guarantee an outcome.
EarthReheal: No. EarthReheal does not file on the CPCB portal on your behalf and is not a government body. It keeps the daily records and evidence that the figures in your return rest on.
8. Can I export my records, and for how long?
Why it matters: Your records are yours. You may need them for an inspection long after a subscription ends.
EarthReheal: Managers can export reports and records as PDF, Excel, CSV or JSON from the reports page at any time while the subscription is active, and we recommend exporting each year after the annual return is filed.
9. Can I try it, and is there a free tier?
Why it matters: You should see your own data in it before you pay.
EarthReheal: There is a free plan that does not expire (licences and renewals, what applies to you, documents, one Manager login), and the licensed plan has a 30-day free trial (90 days for material recovery centres and municipalities).
10. Is the price clear, and does anyone promise outcomes?
Why it matters: Be wary of any product that guarantees a regulatory result: no product can.
EarthReheal: Prices are set per organisation type and size, monthly, exclude GST at 18%, and paying annually costs ten months for twelve. We do not guarantee a regulatory outcome.
Not sure what you need yet? Start with what the SWM Rules 2026 require of your organisation type.
See your gaps before you buy anything
Run the free gap check for your organisation type. It takes about five minutes, needs no sign-up to see your gaps, and is a starting point, not legal advice.
Share this checklist with your committee or team
Send it to your committee, team or neighbouring organisation.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need software to comply with the SWM Rules 2026?
The rules do not require any particular software. They require registration, segregation, EBWGR certificates, registered partners and, for bulk waste generators, an annual return by 30 June. Software is a way to keep the records behind those duties; a well-kept register can do the same job if it is made at the time and kept up.
Can software file my annual return for me?
The return is filed on the CPCB centralised portal at swm.cpcb.gov.in. Ask any vendor exactly what it does and does not do on the portal. EarthReheal does not file on your behalf.
What is the difference between the CPCB portal and compliance software?
The CPCB portal is where registrations are made and returns are filed. Compliance software is where the underlying work is done and recorded every day: who did which task, what was collected and handed over, photographs and approvals.
Is there a free way to start?
Yes. The free gap check takes about five minutes and you see your gaps without signing up. A free plan keeps licences, renewals and documents in one app with one Manager login.
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.