Bio Medical Waste(Management & Handling) Rules,

1998
Background:
With a view to control the indiscriminate disposal of hospital waste/bio medical
waste, the Ministry of Environment & Forest, Govt. of India has issued a notification
on Bio Medical Waste Management under the Environment (Protection) Act. Govt. of
NCT of Delhi in its notification dated 6th July, 1999 has authorised Delhi Pollution
Control Committee (DPCC) for the purpose of granting authorisation for collection,
reception, storage, treatment and disposal of bio medical waste to implement the Bio
Medical Waste Management Rules, 1998. Govt. of NCT of Delhi has also constituted
advisory committee, appellate authority in exercise of powers conferred under Bio
Medical rules. Some of the salient features of these rules are:

Rules are Applicable to:

These Rules will apply to hospitals, Nursing Homes, Veterinary Hospitals, Animal
Houses, Pathological labs & blood banks, generating hospital wastes. (except such
occupier of clinics, dispensaries, pathological labs, blood banks providing
treatment/service to less than 1000 (one thousand) patients per month).

Duty:
It shall be the duty of the every occupier of an institution generating bio medical
waste which includes a hospital, nursing home, clinic, dispensary, Veterinary
institution animal house, pathological laboratory, blood bank by whatever name
called to take all steps to ensure-that such waste is handled without any adverse
effect to the human health and the environment.

Management of Bio-Medical Waste:

Every occupier generating the bio-medical waste need to install an appropriate
facility in the premises or set up a common facility to ensure requisite treatment of
waste by 30.6.2000 in accordance with Schedule-I and in compliance with standards
prescribed with Schedule-V.

The bio medical waste need to be segregated into container/bags at the point of
generation in accordance with Schedule-II, prior to its storage, transportation,
treatment and disposal. The container shall be labeled according to Schedule-III.

Mandatory/Legal Requirement:
Every occupier of an institution, generating, collecting, receiving, storing,
transporting, treating, disposing and/or handling bio medical waste in any other
manner, shall make an application in Form-I along with the following fee structure to
the Delhi Pollution Control Committee for grant of authorisation. The Form-I can be
obtained after paying an amount of Rs. 100/- in the form of Draft in favour of DPCC.
It can also be downloaded from this web site but an additional draft for Rs. 100/- in
favor of DPCC may also be attached with the application at the time of submission of
application.

Fee Structure
S.No. Category Fee (in Rupees)
1. Clinics, pathological laboratories and 1000/- per annum
 blood banks
2. Veterinary institutions, dispensaries 1000/- per annum
and animal houses
3. Hospitals, Nursing Homes and Health 1000/- per annum up
Care Establishments to 4 beds and
additional Rs. 100
per bed per annum
from fifth bed
onwards
4. Operator of the facility of bio-medical 10000/- per annum
waste (excluding transportation)
5. Transporter of bio-medical waste 7500/- per annum

An operator of bio-medical waste facility may also engage in transportation of bio-

medical waste on payment of additional fees prescribed for a transporter of bio-
medical waste.

An application in Form-I appended to the aforesaid rule shall be made to the

prescribed authority i.e. the Chairman, Delhi Pollution Control Committee, for grant
of authorisation along with the checking of documents as given in check list,
wherever applicable.

An authorisation shall be granted for a period of 3 years, including an initial trial

period of one year for which a provisional authorisation will be granted. All
authorisation shall be for a period of three years. Fee shall be payable for three years
at time. The above fee structure is subject to revision from time to time.

The Government's notification No. F.23(522)/95-Env/99 dated the 6th July 1999,
issued in pursuance of rule 8(3) ibid shall stand superseded with immediate effect).

An operator of a facility shall make an application form in Form-I with the fee as
applicable for grant of authorisation.

In addition, they shall also submit an annual report to DPCC in Form-II by 31st
January every year to include information about the categories and quantities of bio
medical wastes handled during the proceeding year and also maintain records
related to the generation, collection, reception, storage, transportation, treatment,
disposal, and/or any form of handling of bio medical waste in accordance with rules
and guidelines issued. All records shall be subject to inspection and verification by
the DPCC at any time.

The transporter, operator of a facility shall label the Bio-Medical strictly in accordance
with the procedure given in Schedule-IV.

Penalty:
The defaulting hospitals/nursing homes etc. are liable to be penalised as per the
provisions of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and other pollution control Acts.

Appeal:
Any person aggrieved by an order made by the DPCC under these rules may within
thirty days from date on which the order is communicated to him, prefer an appeal
to the Financial Commissioner, Govt. of NCT of Delhi who is appointed as Appellate
Authority under the rules.

With the objective to provide the common facility as envisaged under the rules Delhi
Pollution Control Committee has authorized the operator of a facility who collects,
transports, treats and disposes the waste in accordance with the provisions of the
rules. At present Delhi Pollution Control Committee has authorized three such
operators of a facility out of which one of the operator of a facility namely M/ S India
Waste Energy Development Ltd authorization had been cancelled by Delhi Pollution
Control Committee and the matter is sub-judice in the Hon�ble High Court of Delhi.

The names and addresses of the two other operators authorized by Delhi Pollution
Control Committee are given below;

1. Metro Bio Care Technological Services (P). Ltd.,

55, Railway Road, Samaipur Industrial Area, Delhi-42
Phone No. 27898011, 27898033, 27866142
2. Synergy Waste Management (P) Ltd.,
Near Compost Plant,Okhla Tank
Mathura Road New Delhi - 110 020.,
Phone No. 26933371, 26933372

In Delhi according to the records available as per the ANNUAL REPORT submitted by
the individual hospitals and also by the operators of a facility 22446kg/Day waste are
generated.

In Delhi besides these two operators of facility, a number of Government and private
hospitals have installed their own waste disposal facilities in their hospitals for
disposal of the waste generated. At present as per records in Delhi 11
incinerators, 18 autoclaves and 2 microwaves are in operation. Besides
this, a Government facilitated operator is in the process of installing the
facility at Okhla, which is expected to come in 6 months time.

1. Biomedical waste

Biomedical waste consists of solids, liquids, sharps, and laboratory waste that are potentially
infectious or dangerous and are considered biowaste. It must be properly managed to protect the
general public, specifically healthcare and sanitation workers who are regularly exposed to
biomedical waste as an occupational hazard.

Biomedical waste differs from other types of hazardous waste, such as industrial waste, in that it
comes from biological sources or is used in the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of diseases.
Common producers of biomedical waste include hospitals, health clinics, nursing homes, medical
research laboratories, offices of physicians, dentists, and veterinarians, home health care,
and funeral homes.