The Centre on Thursday notified new rules to ensure that bio-medical waste is handled without any adverse effect on human health and environment in the country. The new Draft Bio-Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011 seek to address environmental and health concerns, review the rules published earlier.

According to Environment Ministry these new rules will enable the authorities concerned to implement the rules more effectively. According to the rules, untreated bio-medical waste should not be mixed with other wastes and it should be segregated into containers or bags at the point of generation prior to its storage, transportation, treatment and disposal.

The draft rules insist that no untreated bio medical waste like human tissues, organs, body parts, animal waste, wastes from clinical samples, pathology, bio-chemistry, blood bank and laboratory should be kept stored beyond a period of 48 hours. The Ministry has posted the draft rules on its website inviting suggestions and comments.