The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on January 20, 2026, issued the draft Guidelines For Handling, Storage, Management Utilisation And Disposal Of Reject Water And Discarded Element Generated From Domestic And Commercial Reverse Osmosis Based Water Purification System (WPS).
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) notified the Water Purification System (Regulation of Use) Rules, 2023 under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, to regulate Domestic and Commercial Water Purification Systems, especially those based on Reverse Osmosis (RO). These Rules define the responsibilities of manufacturers, users, CPCB, SPCBs/PCCs and BIS, and assign CPCB the task of issuing guidelines for handling RO reject water and discarded elements. RO systems are increasingly used in households and commercial establishments to remove dissolved solids, pathogens and chemical contaminants, but they generate a reject stream with high TDS, suspended solids and microbial load, requiring environmentally sound management. As per BIS IS 16240:2023, RO systems must have a minimum recovery rate of 40 percent.
The guidelines emphasize utilization of RO reject water wherever feasible, after ensuring suitability for the intended activity. Recommended uses include floor washing, toilet flushing, vehicle exterior washing, construction activities and fire-fighting. Manufacturers are required to facilitate storage of reject water by providing dedicated containers or tanks with proper labelling and to include reuse guidance in product manuals. Where reuse is not possible due to water quality constraints, unutilized reject water must be disposed of into the sewerage system leading to terminal sewage treatment plants for further treatment and safe disposal.
For discarded elements and end-of-life components of water purifiers, manufacturers are advised to maximize the use of recyclable materials and avoid halogenated and non-recyclable plastics. Users must ensure that discarded elements are collected and sent for recycling, and plastic components must be managed in accordance with the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. Manufacturers must obtain BIS certification under IS 16240, enable storage and reuse of reject water, and promote recyclable design, while users are responsible for maximizing reuse of RO reject at the point of use and ensuring proper recycling and compliant disposal of discarded elements.
The Comments/suggestions, if any, on the above draft guidelines are invited and the same may please be provided to CPCB by email to [email protected] and [email protected], so as to finalize the guidelines by February 05, 2026.
[File No. A-14011/1/2026-WQM-I/21]
