Must an Indian factory that burns coal or other solid fuel switch part of it to refuse-derived fuel under the 2026 solid waste rules?
Rule 11 of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026 tells industrial units using solid fuel near a waste based refuse-derived fuel (RDF) plant to replace part of it. On my reading of the table: 6% of fuel intake at the start, 10% after three years, 15% after six. Distance: 100 kilometres for boilers, 400 for cement kilns.
What rule 11 says
Industrial units utilizing solid fuel shall use refuse-derived fuel, segregated combustible fraction (SCF) or agri-residue, as the case may be, as per the table. Units using solid fuel and located within the specified distance from a solid waste based RDF plant shall make arrangements to replace their solid fuel requirement with combustible fraction from solid waste conforming with Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) standards.
The table, row by row
- SCF or agri-residue above 1,500 kilocalories (kcal) a kilogram net: for waste to energy plants or industries with boilers of heating requirements. Distance 100 kilometres.
- RDF Grade I above 4,500 kcal a kilogram net: direct co-processing in cement kilns. 400 kilometres.
- RDF Grade II, 3,750 to 4,500: direct co-processing in cement kilns. 400 kilometres.
- RDF Grade III, 3,000 to 3,750: co-processing directly or after processing with other waste materials in cement kilns. 400 kilometres.
The substitution schedule
The table prints three steps: at least six per cent of fuel intake from the date the rules come into effect, at least ten per cent after three years, and at least fifteen per cent after six years. They sit in one block spanning the rows, and I read them as applying to every row. The rules took effect on 1 April 2026, so on my reading the steps fall on 1 April 2026, 2029 and 2032. The text does not say whether fuel intake is measured by weight or by heat, and Grade III RDF is only 3,000 to 3,750 kcal a kilogram net, so a weight share and a heat share differ. Ask CPCB which basis applies.
Duties that come with it
- Register with the State Pollution Control Board and file annual returns on RDF, SCF or agri-residue use on the portal by 30 June each year.
- RDF and material recovery plants register and report availability monthly with a quality report. Supply to waste to energy plants must be at least 1,500 kcal a kilogram, and to cement plants at least 3,000.
Where it meets carbon
If you switch part of your fuel, your Scope 1 fuel lines change: less coal, more waste or biomass fuel. Count each fuel from its own quantity: the fossil share of waste fuel and biomass fuel are treated differently, as the linked pages explain.
A kiln line using 10,000 gigajoules of fuel heat a year, example
- If intake is measured by heat: 6% = 600 gigajoules, 10% = 1,000, 15% = 1,500
- If measured by weight, the same percentages apply to tonnes, and the heat in those tonnes depends on the fuel grade
The 10,000 gigajoules is an example. The basis is not settled in the rule text.
What Senseible does here
Senseible reads fuel invoices and electricity bills into records, so the coal and other fuel your site buys are on file. The refuse-derived fuel table and its tonnes are outside Senseible's records.
- Plastic waste in a cement kiln: CO2
- Biomass or waste fuel in a boiler: Scope 1
- Industrial waste as boiler fuel: CO2
- Free calculators
Sources: MoEFCC, Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026 (S.O. 388(E), 27 January 2026), rules 1 and 11
Last reviewed 2026-11-05. The distances and steps are as printed in the January 2026 rules. CPCB and the housing ministry issue the standards and portal details; check them before you plan fuel contracts.