EPR for Airports under C&D Waste Management Rules, 2025

Anamika Rathore

Anamika Rathore

Published on: Jun 24, 2026

Shatakshi Sharma

Updated on: Jun 24, 2026

★★★★★(1 Rating)

Introduction

Airport developments include large passenger terminals, runways, and supporting infrastructure. Given this immense scale, operators and civil developers shall strictly manage the environmental impact of construction and demolition activities.

Under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework, airports can no longer treat C&D waste as disposable waste. Instead, they bear full responsibility for its lifecycle, ensuring segregation, recycling, and re-utilisation.

Applicable Provisions

Details	Provisions
Environment (Protection) Act, 1986	Sections 6, 8, and 25
Environment (Construction and Demolition) Waste Management Rules, 2025	Rules 4, 5, 7, 9
Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986	Rule 5

Procedure

Central Portal Registration
The airport operator shall register as a “Producer” on the official CPCB online portal to upload project details, land clearances, architectural dimensions, and corporate identification numbers. Thereafter, the system shall issue a unique EPR Registration Number.
Submission of C&D Waste Management Plan
The Developer shall upload a comprehensive C&D Waste Management Plan before clearing any land or breaking ground. This plan shall detail:
- Estimated metric tonnage of total waste generation
- Geo-tagged layouts of the dedicated on-site storage yards
- Identified logistically viable route maps to downstream recycling plants.
On-Site Source Segregation
The Airport Developer shall establish a dedicated site facility to enforce one hundred per cent (100%) material segregation. Waste streams shall be separated into four (4) categories at the point of origin:
- Concrete, bricks, and cement plaster, stone, rubble, tiles, ceramics
- Soil, silt, sand, and gravel
- Wood, plastics, glass, and structural metals
- Hazardous construction waste (e.g., spent solvents, chemical sealants, tar, and specific insulation foams).
Disposal and EPR Certificate Generation
Airport Developer shall ensure that all segregated waste is transported via covered, tracked vehicles to a CPCB-registered recycling facility. Once the facility weighs and accepts the waste, the Recycler generates digital EPR Certificates on the CPCB portal in favour of the Airport Operator, which serves as formal proof of regulatory compliance.
Meeting Phased Recycling Targets as Specified under First Schedule
The airport project shall acquire EPR certificates to meet the following rising mandatory recycling targets:
- 25% of the total generated waste mass shall be recycled initially
- 50% target in the next phase
- 75% target
- 100% complete circularity (zero waste to landfill).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

Local infrastructure authorities will refuse to issue necessary building, environmental, or structural clearances. The project will be treated as an unauthorised construction site subject to immediate stop-work orders and financial penalties.

Yes. The CPCB online portal features a dedicated trading module. If the airport project falls short of its recycling target, it can purchase surplus EPR certificates from registered waste processors or other compliant producers to satisfy its legal quota.

Yes. Runway milling, asphalt stripping, and concrete repair generate substantial debris. If the aggregate built-up footprint or structural area meets the threshold, all debris falls under the segregation and recycling tracking mandate.

Construction & Demolition Waste Management and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Airports Procedure in India								
Introduction
Airport developments include large passenger terminals, runways, and supporting infrastructure. Given this immense scale, operators and civil developers shall strictly manage the environmental impact of construction and demolition activities.
Under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework, airports can no longer treat C&D waste as disposable waste. Instead, they bear full responsibility for its lifecycle, ensuring segregation, recycling, and re-utilisation.
Applicable Provisions

Details
            Provisions
        
        
          Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
          Sections 6, 8, and 25
        
        
          Environment (Construction and Demolition) Waste Management Rules, 2025
          Rules 4, 5, 7, 9
        
        
          Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986
          Rule 5

Procedure

Central Portal Registration
        The airport operator shall register as a "Producer" on the official CPCB online portal to upload project details, land clearances, architectural dimensions, and corporate identification numbers. Thereafter, the system shall issue a unique EPR Registration Number.
    
    
        Submission of C&D Waste Management Plan
        The Developer shall upload a comprehensive C&D Waste Management Plan before clearing any land or breaking ground. This plan shall detail:
        
	       Estimated metric tonnage of total waste generation
           Geo-tagged layouts of the dedicated on-site storage yards
           Identified logistically viable route maps to downstream recycling plants.
        
    
    
        On-Site Source Segregation
        The Airport Developer shall establish a dedicated site facility to enforce one hundred per cent (100%) material segregation. Waste streams shall be separated into four (4) categories at the point of origin:
        
            Concrete, bricks, and cement plaster, stone, rubble, tiles, ceramics
            Soil, silt, sand, and gravel
            Wood, plastics, glass, and structural metals
            Hazardous construction waste (e.g., spent solvents, chemical sealants, tar, and specific insulation foams).
        
    
    
        Disposal and EPR Certificate Generation
        Airport Developer shall ensure that all segregated waste is transported via covered, tracked vehicles to a CPCB-registered recycling facility. Once the facility weighs and accepts the waste, the Recycler generates digital EPR Certificates on the CPCB portal in favour of the Airport Operator, which serves as formal proof of regulatory compliance.
    
    
        Meeting Phased Recycling Targets as Specified under First Schedule
        The airport project shall acquire EPR certificates to meet the following rising mandatory recycling targets:
        
            25% of the total generated waste mass shall be recycled initially
            50% target in the next phase
            75% target
            100% complete circularity (zero waste to landfill).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

What happens if an Airport Developer fails to register on the CPCB portal?
            
        
        
            
                Local infrastructure authorities will refuse to issue necessary building, environmental, or structural clearances. The project will be treated as an unauthorised construction site subject to immediate stop-work orders and financial penalties.

Can an airport buy EPR certificates from other projects if it misses its targets?
            
        
        
            
                Yes. The CPCB online portal features a dedicated trading module. If the airport project falls short of its recycling target, it can purchase surplus EPR certificates from registered waste processors or other compliant producers to satisfy its legal quota.

Does the C&D waste rule apply to runway maintenance and resurfacing?
            
        
        
            
                Yes. Runway milling, asphalt stripping, and concrete repair generate substantial debris. If the aggregate built-up footprint or structural area meets the threshold, all debris falls under the segregation and recycling tracking mandate.

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EHS

Construction & Demolition Waste Management and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Airports Procedure in India

Anamika Rathore

Shatakshi Sharma

Introduction

Applicable Provisions

Procedure

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

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