Greening the Construction SectorC&D Waste Management in the light of the new Rules and EPR Framework, May 19-21, 2026

The Sustainable Habitat Programme of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) conducted a four-day residential training programme on Greening the construction sector: With focus on C&D waste management in light of new rules and EPR framework at the Anil Agarwal Environment Training Institute (AAETI), Neemli, Rajasthan, from May 19th to 21st, 2026. The programme brought together 25 participants, including officials representing 3 municipalities from the states of Haryana and Rajasthan, officials from government construction companies and industry experts.

The training began with asession by Mr Rajneesh Sareen, Programme Director, discussing the principles of circularity and resource efficiency in the built environment and by providing an overview of the training. Mr Sareen continued with a session on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the air environment for construction projects.This was followed by a session by Ms Mitashi Singh, Programme Manager on Environment (Construction and Demolition) Waste Management Rules, 2025. She addressed the objectives, key stakeholders, key entities, and management framework of the new Waste Management Rules. These rules are set to transform the sector, having introduced an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework and redefined stakeholder roles and responsibilities. The roles increase accountability of both the generators and the urban local bodies by placing a centralised, real-time, digital-tracking system. Post this, Ms. Mitashi took a session on C&D Waste Estimation Methodologies whereshe introduced participants to various city-level C&D waste estimation methodologies that use different data repositories.The post-lunch session was dedicated to an intensive exercise in which participants worked on making a comprehensive waste management plan and estimating quantities from different C&D waste streams.

The first session on Day 2was taken by Mr. Sugeet Grover, Programme Manageron C&D waste management ecosystems and milestones. It focused on outlining comprehensive steps for establishing a C&D Waste Management ecosystem supported by case studies of multiple cities. The sessions then progressed to discussions on understanding value and the trade chain of the construction sector while examining the movement of construction materials and C&D waste within the cityby Ms. Sayani Sen, Programme Officer, Habitat team. This was followed by a detailed session by Mr Sugeet Grover, on on-site dust management requirements, highlighting process management measures and safeguards for material handling at both site and city scales, including area and linear projects. The pre-lunch session was taken up by Ms. Nidhi Dandona, architect, Studio RDA. She showcased a study on the on-site reutilization of C&D waste in a project in Gurugram, which helped in reutilising dumped legacy waste in the city. Post lunch, the participants participated in group-based exercise on creating an onsite storage plan and waste reutilization plan.

On Day 3, Mr. Sugeet took a session where participants were introduced to C&D waste processing technologies, equipment, recycled products, and plant economics, enabling them to understand the operational and financial dimensions of recycling systems. This was followed by a session by Ms. Nida Maryam on dust mitigation in linear projects post which she conducted an exercise with the participants on the subject. The training concluded with presentations by the participants and certificate distribution and feedback session.