UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — PARLIAMENT QUESTION: Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026 to come into effect from April 1
Q1. The Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026 derive their legal force as subordinate legislation made under which one of the following statutes?
- A. The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
- B. The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
- C. The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981
- D. The National Green Tribunal Act, 2010
Q2. With reference to the regulatory lineage of India's solid waste management framework, consider the following:
1. Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000 — the first comprehensive national framework on the subject.
2. Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 — extended the regime's scope beyond municipal areas.
3. Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026 — notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, superseding the 2016 Rules.
4. Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026 — enacted as a standalone Act of Parliament.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000 — the first comprehensive national framework on the subject.
- Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 — extended the regime's scope beyond municipal areas.
- Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026 — notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, superseding the 2016 Rules.
- Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026 — enacted as a standalone Act of Parliament.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1, 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q3. Under the four-stream source segregation mandated by the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, used diapers and sanitary napkins are to be segregated under which stream?
- A. Sanitary waste
- B. Special care waste
- C. Dry waste
- D. Domestic hazardous waste
Q4. With reference to source segregation under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 and 2026, consider the following statements:
1. The 2016 Rules required waste generators to segregate waste into three streams.
2. Under the 2016 Rules, used diapers and sanitary napkins were classified as domestic hazardous waste.
3. The 2026 Rules retain the same three-stream segregation system as the 2016 Rules.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The 2016 Rules required waste generators to segregate waste into three streams.
- Under the 2016 Rules, used diapers and sanitary napkins were classified as domestic hazardous waste.
- The 2026 Rules retain the same three-stream segregation system as the 2016 Rules.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q5. Under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, which body is empowered to frame the guidelines for implementation of the Rules?
- A. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)
- B. State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs)
- C. NITI Aayog
- D. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
Q6. With reference to the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, consider the following statements:
1. They were notified in January 2026 and integrate the principle of Extended Producer Responsibility.
2. They come into effect from 1 April 2026, six years after the 2016 Rules.
3. Environmental compensation under the Rules is based on the Polluter Pays principle.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- They were notified in January 2026 and integrate the principle of Extended Producer Responsibility.
- They come into effect from 1 April 2026, six years after the 2016 Rules.
- Environmental compensation under the Rules is based on the Polluter Pays principle.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q7. With reference to bulk waste generators (BWGs) and the Extended Bulk Waste Generator Responsibility regime, consider the following:
1. BWGs must process wet waste on-site as far as feasible.
2. Where on-site processing is not feasible, a BWG must obtain an EBWGR certificate.
3. Under the 2016 Rules, the built-up area threshold for a bulk generator was 5,000 square metres.
4. BWGs are permitted to mix wet and dry waste before handover.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- BWGs must process wet waste on-site as far as feasible.
- Where on-site processing is not feasible, a BWG must obtain an EBWGR certificate.
- Under the 2016 Rules, the built-up area threshold for a bulk generator was 5,000 square metres.
- BWGs are permitted to mix wet and dry waste before handover.
- A. 1, 2 and 3
- B. 2 and 4
- C. 1 and 4
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q8. Under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, what must a bulk waste generator obtain when on-site processing of its wet waste is not feasible?
- A. An Extended Bulk Waste Generator Responsibility (EBWGR) certificate
- B. An Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) certificate
- C. A Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) production licence
- D. A Material Recovery Facility (MRF) authorisation
Q9. The expanded scope of India's solid waste management rules, carried forward into the 2026 Rules, correctly extends application to which one of the following?
- A. Special economic zones, airports and defence establishments
- B. Only the areas of municipal corporations
- C. Only metropolitan cities with population above one million
- D. Agricultural farmland and reserved forest areas exclusively
Q10. The circular-economy framework of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026 was notified by which Union Ministry?
- A. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
- B. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
- C. Ministry of Jal Shakti
- D. Ministry of Heavy Industries
Q11. The Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026 supersede the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. How many years separate these two sets of rules?
- A. 10 years
- B. 6 years
- C. 16 years
- D. 26 years
Q12. Under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, into how many streams must waste be segregated at source for collection and channelisation by urban local bodies?
- A. Four
- B. Three
- C. Five
- D. Two