How to get hazardous waste authorization from your SPCB in India
In India, units that generate, store, treat or recycle hazardous waste generally need SPCB authorisation under Rule 6. How to apply, Form 2 and Form 4.
Hazardous waste authorization in India
In India, a facility that generates or handles hazardous and other wastes generally needs hazardous waste authorization from its State Pollution Control Board (SPCB). Apply in Form 1 under Rule 6 of the Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016. The Board issues the authorisation in Form 2, valid for five years. Keep Form 3 records and file a Form 4 annual return by 30 June. Occupiers that need neither Water Act nor Air Act consent are exempt.
That CPCB link is the official hazardous waste management PDF. Maharashtra's board hosts an English copy too.
Who needs hazardous waste authorization
Rule 6(1) lists the activities: handling, generation, collection, storage, packaging, transportation, use, treatment, processing, recycling, recovery, pre-processing, co-processing, utilisation, offering for sale, transfer or disposal. Unless exempt, the occupier needs authorisation for these activities (2016 Rules).
The "occupier" is the person in control of the factory or premises. For waste, it also covers whoever has the waste in their possession (Rule 3(1)(21)). In a Union territory, the Pollution Control Committee plays the Board's role (Rule 3(1)(30)). A few cases get misread.
- Size alone does not exempt you. Since 2019, Rule 6(1A) exempts an occupier only if it needs no consent to establish or operate under the Water Act, 1974 and the Air Act, 1981. Even then, its waste must go to an actual user, waste collector or disposal facility operator, in line with CPCB guidelines (G.S.R. 178(E)).
- Deposition centres for domestic hazardous waste were brought in by the 2024 amendment. They need authorisation, Form 3 records and a Form 4 return (G.S.R. 177(E), 12 March 2024).
- Using hazardous waste as a resource, or pre-processing it for co-processing, needs authorisation under Rule 9. Where no CPCB standard operating procedure exists, CPCB approval following trial runs is required.
- Waste-water and exhaust gases covered by the Water and Air Acts, radioactive waste, bio-medical waste and municipal solid waste fall outside these Rules (Rule 2).
EPR registration on the CPCB portal is a separate thing. Waste tyres (2022), used oil from 1 April 2024 (G.S.R. 677(E)) and non-ferrous metal scrap from 1 April 2026 (G.S.R. 438(E)) each have their own EPR regime. None of them replaces your Rule 6 authorisation.
How to apply in Form 1
Form 1 goes to your SPCB with copies of your consent to establish and consent to operate under the Water and/or Air Act. It has four parts (2016 Rules, Form 1):
| Part | Who fills it | What it asks for |
|---|---|---|
| A | Every applicant | Unit and occupier details, activities, quantity handled per year, maximum stored, Emergency Response Plan, undertaking |
| B | Generators | Products, process flow, waste characteristics and quantities, how each waste is managed |
| C | TSDF operators | Treatment, storage and disposal facility details |
| D | Recyclers, pre-processors, co-processors, other users | Details of the utilisation activity |
The Part A undertaking can include a bank guarantee against spills, leaks or fire. Rule 6(2) says the Board may grant Form 2 within 120 days of a complete application, after inquiry and site inspection, if satisfied that the unit meets CPCB guidelines. The grant includes the signed inspection report. Refusal needs written reasons and a hearing. Actual users get a passbook and must record each purchase (Rule 6).
Online filing depends on your state. Tamil Nadu takes Form 1 through OCMMS (TNPCB handbook 2025, p. 142), and MPCB runs its own consent and authorisation portal. TNPCB also asks for a photograph of the display board at your entrance with the application. Check your Board's display requirements and format. Karnataka publishes one.
Validity, renewal and appeals
An authorisation is valid for five years. Apply for renewal up to three months before expiry, with a self-certified compliance report on effluent and emission standards and on your existing conditions. Renewal Form 1 also asks for previous authorisation numbers and the last three years' annual returns (2016 Rules). Under Rule 8, waste can be stored on site for up to 90 days, longer for small generators: up to 180 days at 5 to 10 tonnes a year and 365 days under 5 tonnes (2024 amendment).
Under Rule 7, the Board can suspend or cancel an authorisation for non-compliance after a hearing. If you disagree, appeal in Form 12 to the State's Environment Secretary within 30 days of the order. A late appeal can be condoned for sufficient cause. The appeal is disposed of within 60 days of filing (Rule 24).
Consent and authorisation after the January 2026 changes
The 2025 consent guidelines already required single-step consent and hazardous waste authorisation. Air Act (G.S.R. 62(E)) and Water Act (G.S.R. 63(E)) amendments, dated 23 January 2026, were published on 27 January 2026 and took effect that day. Each requires a single-step procedure for consent under that Act plus waste authorisations. PIB describes one common application and integrated permissions.
The same guidelines make consent to operate "valid till it is cancelled". But that line covers the consent only. Rule 6(2) still sets five years for hazardous waste authorisation. Check the validity printed on your Form 2 or consolidated consent.
The guidelines also tell CPCB to build a unified portal, preferably within six months and no later than one year. Until then, ask your SPCB which route to use.
Form 3 records and the Form 4 annual return
Once authorised, keep records in Form 3. File the Form 4 annual return with your SPCB on or before 30 June following the financial year it covers (Rules 6(5) and 20(2)). Condition 14 of Form 2 repeats that date.
Form 4 Part A is for generators: waste generated by category, quantity sent to a disposal facility, quantity sent to recyclers, co-processors or pre-processors, quantity used in-house and quantity in storage at year end. Part B covers TSDF operators and Part C covers recyclers, co-processors and other users (2016 Rules).
Don't mix up the forms. Form 5 is the import and export application (Rules 13 and 14), not an accident report. Accidents go to the SPCB immediately and then in Form 11, and the transport manifest is Form 10 (2016 Rules).
What the national inventory shows
SPCBs compile the Form 4 returns into a state inventory and send it to CPCB by 30 September (Rule 20(3)). CPCB's 2023-24 inventory counts 89,301 hazardous waste generating units, of which 84,182 held authorisation. Only 62,584 units submitted annual returns. 32 SPCBs and PCCs reported.
The same report records 18,512,967 tonnes of industrial hazardous waste in India that year. Recyclable waste was 38.50%, utilisable 37.96%, landfillable 19.23% and incinerable 4.31%. Gujarat generated 8,684,958 tonnes (46.91%). Maharashtra followed with 1,441,800 tonnes. Tamil Nadu generated 1,318,733 tonnes, Andhra Pradesh 1,313,724 and Odisha 1,310,111. Check the CPCB inventory page for a newer edition.
RegAffairs AI's answer on hazardous waste authorisation links the Rule 6 duties to the Gazette text.