Hazardous Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1989 

In exercise of the powers conferred by sections 6, 8 and 25 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986  

(29 of 1986), the Central Government hereby makes the following rules, namely : 

1.         Short title and commencement  

            (1)       These rules may be called the Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 1989.  

            (2)       They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the official Gazette. 

2.         Application 

            These rules shall apply to the handling of hazardous wastes as specified in Schedule and shall not apply to-  

             (a)       waste water and exhaust gases as covered under the provisions of the Water (Prevention and  

                        Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 (6 of 1974) and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution)  

                        Act, 1981 (14 of 1981) and rules made thereunder;  

             (b)       wastes arising out of the operation from ships beyond five kilometres as covered under the                                        provisions of the Merchant Shipping Act,. 1958 (\\\\44 of 1958) and the rules made thereunder,  

             (c)       radio-active wastes as covered under the provisions of the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 (33 of 1962) and                         rules made thereunder, 

3.         Definitions 

            In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires,-  

            (a)       \\\"Act\\\" means the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (29 of 1986);  

            (b)       \\\"applicant\\\" means a person or an organisation that applies, in Form 1, for granting of  authorisation to perform specific                          activities connected with handling of hazardous wastes;  

            (c)       \\\"authorisation\\\" means permission for collection, reception, treatment, transport, storage and disposal of hazardous wastes granted by                          the competent authority in Form 2; 

            (d)       \\\"authorised person\\\" means a person or an organisation authorised by the competent authority to collect, treat, transport, store or                                    dispose of hazardous wastes in accordance with the guidelines to be issued by the competent authority from time to time;  

             (e)      \\\"export\\\" with its grammatical variation and cognate expression means taking out of India to a place outside India;  

             (f)        \\\"exporter’ means any person under the jurisdiction of the expor.6ng country who exports  

                        hazardous wastes and the exporting country itself, who exports hazardous wastes’  

            (g)       \\\"facility\\\" means any location wherein the processes, incidental to the waste generation  

                        collection, reception, treatment, storage and disposal are carried out;  

            (h)       \\\"Form\\\" means Form appended to these rules;  

            (i)        \\\"hazardous wastes\\\" means,  

                        (a)       Waste Substances which are generated in the process indicated in column-2 of  

                                    Schedule-1 and consists of wholly or partly of the waste substances referred to in  

                                    column - 3 of the same schedule; 

                        (b)       Waste substances which consists wholly or partly of substances indicated in  

                                    Schedule-2, unless the concentration of the substances is less than the limit  

                                    indicated in the same schedule: and  

                        (c )      Waste substances indicated in Part-A, List \\\'A\\\' and \\\'B\\\' of Schedule -3 applicable only  

                                    to rule 12, 13 and 14 unless they do not possess any of the hazardous characteristics  

                                    in Part-B of the same schedule.  

             (j)        \\\"hazardous wastes site\\\" means a place for collection, reception, treatment, storage and  

                        disposal of hazardous wastes which has been duly approved by the competent authority;  

             (k)       \\\"import\\\" with its grammatical variations and cognate expressions, means bringing into India  

                        from a place outside India;  

            (l)        \\\"importer\\\" means an occupier or any person who imports hazardous wastes;  

            (m)      \\\"operator of a facility\\\" means a person who owns or operates a facility for collection.  

                        reception, treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous wastes;  

            (n)       \\\"Schedule\\\" means Schedule appended to these rules;  

            (o)       \\\"State Pollution Control Board\\\" means the Board appointed under sub-section of the section 4  

                        of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974 (6 of 1974); and under Section 4  

                        of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution3 Act, 1981 (14 of 1981);  

            (p)       \\\"transboundary movement\\\" means any movement of hazardous wastes or other wastes from  

                        an area under the national jurisdiction of one country to or through an area under the national  

                        jurisdiction of another country or to or through an area not under the national jurisdiction of  

                        any country, provided at least two countries are involved in the movement;  

            (q)       “disposal” means deposit, treatment, storage and recovery of any hazardous wastes;} 

            (r)        “manifest” means transporting document originated and signed by the occupier in accordance  

                         with rule 7(4) and 7(5); 

            (s)       “State Government” means State Government and in relation to Union Territory the  

                        Administrator thereof appointed under Article 239 of the Constitution;  

            (t)        “storage” means keeping hazardous wastes for a temporary period, at the end of which the  

                        hazardous waste is treated and disposed off; 

            (u)       “transport” means movement of hazardous waste by air, rail, road or water; 

            (v)       “transporter” means a person engaged in the off-site transportation of hazardous waste by air,  

                        rail, road or water; 

            (w)      “treatment” means a method, technique or process, designed to change the physical, chemical or                              biological characteristics or composition of any hazardous waste so as to render such  wastes                                      harmless; 

             (x)        \\\"environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes\\\" means taking all steps to ensure  

                        that the hazardous wastes are managed in a manner which will protect human health and the  

                        environment against the adverse effects which may result from such wastes;  

            (y)       \\\"illegal traffic\\\" means any transboundary movement of hazardous wastes as specified  

                        in rule 15; 

            (z)        the words and expressions used in these rules and not defined but defined in the Act,  

                        shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in the Act.