All village households have been directed to separate waste into four distinct categories, Wet, Dry, Sanitary and Special Care/Household Hazardous, using colour-coded bins and bags. (Photo Courtesy: en.vikaspedia.in)
Kohima, June 2 (MExN): The Home Department of Nagaland has issued a state-wide directive making it compulsory for all households in every village to follow a four-stream waste segregation system at source, as per the Solid Waste Management Rules 2026 notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). The rules came into effect on April 1, 2026.
In an official notification issued under Rule 5(b) of the new central rules, the department has directed all village households to separate waste into four distinct categories, Wet, Dry, Sanitary and Special Care/Household Hazardous, using colour-coded bins and bags.
“Every household shall separate and store waste generated by them in four separate streams at source,” the notification stated, reproducing extracts from Rule 5 of the 2026 Rules.
Colour-coded system for waste streams
As per the guidelines:
Wet waste: Such as kitchen waste, food scraps, vegetable peels, flowers and biodegradable items should be kept in Green Bin.
Dry waste: Such as Plastic, glass, metal, rubber and non- biodegradable items should be kept in Blue Bin.
Sanitary waste: such as used diapers, sanitary towels or napkins, tampons, condoms, incontinence sheets, and sanitary pads should be wrapped securely in the pouches provided by the manufacturers or brand owners of these products or in a suitable wrapping material as instructed by the local bodies or authorities and shall place the same in the sanitary waste bin separate from bins meant for dry waste or wet waste or special care waste.
Special Care/Household Hazardous waste: Means and includes discarded paint drums and paint cans, pesticide cans or containers or bottles, compact fluorescent lamp or bulbs, tube lights, expired medicines, broken mercury thermometers, waste batteries, used or waste needles and syringes and contaminated gauge, cleaning agents, insecticides, expired medicines and electricity bulbs or any other waste generated at the household level as notified by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) from time to time and It should be kept in Red Bag.
The district administration has been directed to ensure that the four-stream source segregation of waste be initiated and implemented in all villages in co-ordination with the Rural Development, PHED, Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Department in respective districts. It is also directed to ensure conduct of adequate sensitization exercise with all village authorities to promote sustainable waste management.
