Frequently Asked Questions

• All persons or entities which generate, collect, receive, store, transport, treat, dispose of or handle bio medical waste in any form, including hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, dispensaries, veterinary institutions, animal houses, pathological laboratories, blood banks, ayush hospitals, clinical establishments and research or educational institutions, are subject to the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016.
• Every occupier is responsible for taking all necessary steps to ensure that bio-medical waste is managed safely and in compliance with these rules, without causing harm to human health or the environment and provide a safe, ventilated and secure location within the premises for the storage of segregated biomedical waste in coloured bags or containers in the manner specified in Schedule I, to ensure that no secondary handling, pilferage of recyclables or inadvertent scattering or spillage by animals occurs and the bio-medical waste from such location or premises shall be transferred directly, in accordance with these regulations, to a common bio-medical waste treatment facility or, as the case may be, for proper treatment and disposal in accordance with Schedule I. 
   

• Maintain and update the bio-medical waste management register on a daily basis in all bedded health care units and display the monthly record on its website according to the bio-medical waste generated in terms of category and colour coding as defined in Schedule I.
• On or before June 30th of each year, every occupier or operator of a common bio-medical waste treatment facility must submit an annual report in Form-IV to the prescribed authority.
• In accordance with these rules and guidelines issued by the Central Government or the Central Pollution Control Board or the prescribed Authority as the case may be, every authorised person shall keep records related to the generation, collection, reception, storage, transportation, treatment, disposal or any other form of handling of bio-medical waste for a period of five years.
• Make the annual report available on its website within two years of the date of publication of the Bio-Medical Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2018, in the case of all bedded health care facilities (any number of beds).
   

There is no Government fee for annual submission of Bio-Medical Waste Compliances. If an agency is hired for the same, it may charge you for the services rendered. Metacorp charges Rs.5,000 to Rs.10,000 annually for submission of Bio-Medical Waste Management Authorization compliances. 

To assess your home's water consumption, conduct a household water audit. This evaluation helps measure water usage and identify opportunities for conservation. The process involves calculating water usage and identifying simple methods to reduce consumption. It's vital to note that water usage fluctuates seasonally, with warmer months typically seeing increased usage for activities such as gardening and car washing. Even if you conduct the audit during colder months, consider the additional water used in warmer seasons. The American Water Works Association estimates the average daily indoor water use per person at 94 gallons, excluding outdoor activities like lawn irrigation and car washing.

A Water Audit is the analysis of usage of water by a business entity for its operations & for domestic purposes. The business entity could be an industrial entity, an infrastructure or a mining entity. The Water Audit encompasses everything from the start of water delivery to the point where it is recycled and used in various other purposes, such as for washrooms, gardening or any other purposes. The Water Audit is used to establish the quantity of water being used in the manufacturing process, domestic purposes, wastage, leakages & excess usage of water. The audit also identifies areas where consumption can be reduced. It is also used to analyze water treatment systems in place and how to improve efficiency and reduce usage of water.

The final draft of the detailed water audit report should contain the following:

• The patterns of water consumption and wastewater generation
• Water usage heads and the conservation of water
• Complete water balance report of the manufacturing, infrastructure or mining entity.
• The areas where water could be saved or conserved.
• How the recommended guidelines are to be implemented
• Complete description and data for water usage, recycling, reuse etc.
• Total Investment required to implement the suggested changes

Water audits act as an instrument to identify areas of higher specific water use, assess wastewater pollutant load and determine techniques for mitigation through the application of the 3R (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) principle.

The Green Credit Program (GCP) is a pioneering market-based process under which the individuals, NGOs, Communities & Business entities could be provided incentives for their voluntary activities for environmental conservation & sustainable development. The Indian Council of Forestry Research & Education (ICFRE) is the designated nodal agency to implement, operate, manage & monitor the Green Credit Program. The Green Credit Program’s main focus in the initial stage is water conservation & afforestation.

As per the Green Credit Rules, 2023, the Indian Council of Forestry Research & Education (ICFRE) will issue methodologies for awarding green credits to applicants. These methodologies are expected to set the minimum performance standards for each activity or process for their impact on the environment. A portal is to be launched for registration, verification & issuance of green credits to the applicants. Through this portal, the applicant can register after submitting the required documents. The administrator of the portal will verify the activity through a designated agency, after which the green credits can be issued to the applicant.  

An applicant may get green credits by performing following activities to protect, preserve, or conserve the environment.

Tree plantation— The applicant can claim Green Credits by performing activities resulting in increase in the forest/ green cover in any part of the country

Water management— He/she may get Green Credits for promoting water conservation, rain-water harvesting & using water efficiently or saving water, including usage of treated water and reuse of wastewater

 Sustainable agriculture— The applicant may perform activities to promote natural and regenerative agricultural practices & land restoration to improve crop productivity, soil health and nutritional value of food grain, vegetables & fruits.

Waste management— The Green Credits may be obtained by promoting circularity, sustainable and improved procedures for Plastic, Electronics, Battery & hazardous waste management, including collection, segregation, recycling, co-processing etc.

Air pollution reduction— The Green credits may be claimed by promoting measures which may result in the reduction of air pollution, along with water & noise pollution.

Mangrove conservation and restoration— The applicant could get Green Credits by creating awareness & actions to conserve and restore mangroves

Ecomark label development— to encourage manufacturers to obtain ecomark label for their goods and services

Sustainable building & Infrastructure— The Green Credits could be claimed by encouraging the construction of sustainable buildings and other infrastructure using the environment friendly technologies and materials.

India's Green Credit Programme and the Carbon Credits initiative focus on Sustainable Agriculture-based Green Credit, aiming to encourage natural and regenerative agricultural practices and land restoration. The goal is to enhance productivity, soil health, and the nutritional value of the food produced.

The types of green credits are as following: 

• Forest & Ecosystem Credits.
• Air Quality Credits.
• Water Quality and Access Credits.
• Waste Management Credits.
• Energy Efficiency Credits.
• Renewable Energy Generation Credits, among others. 

• Any manufacturing activity being conducted by a business entity may or may not involve the generation of any type of pollution, be it air, water or noise pollution. As per the Central & State Pollution Control Board guidelines, these manufacturing activities are considered white or green category business activities.
• Then there are the orange, blue & red categories of manufacturing activities, which involve generation of air pollution, water & noise pollution. For this, the installation of pollution control devices such as ETPs, STPs & Dust collectors, is suggested, along with other pollution control measures undertaken to mitigate the polluting effects of a manufacturing activity.
• The Environmental Audit is performed at regular intervals to check whether the pollution control devices & other pollution control measures being undertaken are effective or not, whether more is required to be done to further tighten the grip around generation and control of pollution.
• The process of Environmental auditing is an organized, scientific and time interval-based technique to ascertain a manufacturing entity ’s effectiveness & efficiency for:
• How the business entity is performing on relevant statutory and internal requirements
• Ensuring that top management is monitoring the environmental practices
• Creating awareness & promoting good environmental management
• Maintaining credibility with the public that our future generations will be free from pollution
• Regular training & workshops for staff awareness and enforcing commitment to departmental environmental policy
• Continuously exploring improvement opportunities for fighting pollution
• Establishing the minimum standards for developing a credible Environmental Management System (EMS)

The process of Environmental Audit consists of following three phases.

• Pre – Audit phase
• Audit Phase
• Post – Audit phase

Pre-Audit Phase

At the pre-audit stage, the business entity desirous of Environmental Audit is required to allot human & other resources for the whole audit process. The business entity is also needed to prepare an audit plan and the documents required for the environmental audit.  

Audit Phase

After the pre-audit phase is complete, the business entity may proceed with the actual audit. The audit team is expected to follow the standards & procedures laid down during the pre-audit phase. The audit team in this phase is required to conduct site inspections and interviews, evaluate teams and perform document reviews, as per the guidelines of the Govt. Environment Body.  After this is done, the audit lead team is required to prepare thorough Environmental Audit Reports.  

Post - Audit Phase

In the Post-Audit phase, the Audit team should reflect on the data generated and reports of the environmental audit thus prepared, so that the areas of improvement could be found out and steps to mitigate the pollution are undertaken.  

There are three main types of environmental audits that a company may conduct. These are as follows:

• Environmental compliance
• Environmental Management System (EMS) audits
• Functional environmental audits

Environmental Compliance Audits

Environmental compliance audits, as the name suggests, determines whether the business entity is compliant regarding those particular pollution control devices and pollution control measures which were delineated during the issuance of the State/ Central Pollution Control Certificate.

Every manufacturing activity is required to get a certificate from the State Pollution Control Board. When a Pollution Certificate is issued, the requirements of pollution control device & other pollution control measures are mentioned in the Pollution Board Certificate. The focus of the environmental compliance audit is to find out whether the business entity is following all or most of the parameters as mentioned in the Pollution Board Certificate. Other Pollution Board certificates such as Environment Impact Assessment – Environment Clearance (EIA-EC), also include the conditions required to be fulfilled during the operation of a particular manufacturing/infrastructure/mining activity.

Environmental Management System (EMS) audits

The Environmental Management System (EMS) Audit is an audit process in which the EMS of an organization, engaged in manufacturing, infrastructure development or mining, is evaluated to ascertain whether the system is effective enough to maintain the benchmark performance of the pollution control devices and other pollution control measures. The EMS Audit is conducted as per the guidelines of Clause 9 of the ISO 14001:2015. This performance is done to ensure:

• That the Environmental Management System is proving effective in monitoring & controlling the air, water & noise pollution.
• The EMS is properly inspected in terms of its expected performance standards.
• The evaluation of objectives of the EMS and its targets is undertaken.
• To identify new targets or opportunities.
• Ascertaining whether the EMS is fulfilling the organizational, stakeholder & legal requirements.
• Periodic Review of the EMS for its perpetual suitability, adequacy & effectiveness.
• To ensure continual improvement in a particular EMS.

Functional Environmental Audits

Functional Environmental Audit is a process under which specific compliance conditions are monitored and inspected for adherence to the Pollution Control Board Guidelines. For example, if an Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) or a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) is installed as a pollution control device to check water pollution, then the functional environmental audit would be focused on whether the treated water from the outlet of the ETP or STP satisfies the limits of concentration of hazardous materials in the treated water, if it is found to be wanting on these parameters, then the Functional Environmental Audit would suggest the measures to be taken to mend this leakage of pollutants in the water body.

• The first document required for an Environmental Audit is the site plan, layout plan or key plan. This is required to define the scope of the audit along with any changes to the premises
• The Consent to Establish (CTE), Consent to Operate (CTO), Environmental Clearance (EIA-EC) certificates, along with any EPR certificate, if the Business entity is engaged in plastic, electronics, battery or tyre manufacturing or import.
• Previous environmental inspection reports and checklists to ascertain that inspections have been conducted and recorded at regular time intervals. The Hazardous waste manifests, sampling data, and other inspection reports are also required to establish a sound record-keeping.
• The raw purchase data, units manufactured & distribution, of all chemicals and other raw materials used, their locations, and quantities to find out the environmental regulations applicable to the facility.
• The documents about Environmental Plans and procedures, best management practices & other applicable documents to show how the business entity is managing environmental issues and preventing problems. Also required are the EPA Risk Management Plan, Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) and written emergency response programs, if applicable.
• The training records of technical persons, radiation safety officials, chemical handing certificate etc to ensure that the employees are adequately trained to handle their daily tasks. The medical reports of some employees to ascertain whether the work of the employee is in any way affecting his/her physical health.  

1. Person who is generating battery waste must obtain a Battery EPR Certificate from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) 
2. Following receipt of a Battery Manufacturer or a Battery Recycler EPR application for Battery EPR, the State Pollution Control Board or the Pollution Control Committee of Union territories can, after making any inquiries it deems necessary and being satisfied that the applicant has appropriate facilities, technical capabilities, and equipment to safely handle battery waste, will issue the Battery EPR Certificate
3.  Every person authorized under these rules must keep a record of the battery waste they handle in Form 6 and prepare and submit an annual return containing the information stated in Form 1 to the Central Pollution Control Board on or before the 30th day of June following the financial year to which the return relates.

The Government fee for Battery Waste EPR certificate may range from Rs.10,000 up to Rs.40,000 depending on the Annual Turnover of the previous year. If an agency is hired for the same, it may charge you a consulting fee.

1.  Documents required for Producers/Manufacturers of Batteries

• Certificate of Incorporation / Business Registration
• PAN Card of Company
• GST Certificate
• PAN Card & Aadhaar Card of Authorized Signatory
• Battery Sale/purchase data of last 2 years
• Types of Batteries and Battery Chemistry
• State Pollution Board CTO for Battery Manufacturing

2.  Documents required for Importers / Brand Owners of Batteries

• Certificate of Incorporation / Business Registration
• PAN Card of Company
• GST Certificate
• PAN card & Aadhaar card of Authorized Signatory
• Import Export Code (IEC) / SPCB CTO/CFO Consent
• Details of Batteries or Battery Products Imported / Sold
• Battery Chemistry Details

3.  Documents for Recyclers / Refurbishers of batteries

• Certificate of Incorporation / Business Registration
• PAN Card
• GST Certificate
• PAN & Aadhaar of Authorized Signatory
• SPCB Consent to Operate (CTO)
• Details of Recycling / Refurbishing Facility
• Installed Capacity of Plant
• Process Flow of Recycling

‘Battery’ or ‘’accumulator’’ means any source of electrical energy produced by direct conversion of chemical energy, including disposable primary (Alkaline/Mercury/Silver oxide/Zinc Carbon) batteries, rechargeable secondary (Lead Acid/Lithium Ion/Lithium Metal/Nickel Cadmium) batteries, and any other battery that contains (or may produce) potassium hydroxide at the end of its life.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) refers to the battery manufacturers'/ importers' responsibility for their products beyond production. They are required to dispose off their battery scrap in an environmentally sound manner, implementing a take-back scheme, setting up recycling centres, or both, and making agreements with registered recyclers.

‘Producer' refers to someone who:   

 i. manufactures and offers to sell batteries and their components, consumables, parts, or spares under their own brand;

ii. manufactures or offers to sell equipment/products that use a battery or batteries as a component under their own brand; 

iii. offers to sell assembled batteries under their own brand.