1. WE ARE YET TO REALISE THAT THE HARMFUL EFFECT ON
THE ENVIRONMENT DUE TO THE INEFFICIENT HANDLING
OF E-WASTE IS MANY TIMES MORE THREATENING THAN
AUTOMOTIVE POLLUTION
ONE MILLION
TONNES OF
E-WASTE IN INDIA
E
LECTRONIC WASTE, also known as e-waste, is one of
the fastest growing waste segments in India. Rising lev-
els of disposable incomes combined with increasing
rates of obsolescence, and the subsequent upgradation of elec-
tronic products at more frequent intervals, are driving the
demand for electrical and electronic products, which in turn is
leading to greater e-waste generation. E-waste in India has
been growing at the rate of about 13 per cent in the last couple
of years and is currently estimated to be over one million
tonnes. Presently only about five per cent of e-waste is recy-
cled each year in the formal sector, owing to the lack of a prop-
er collection, management infrastructure and lack of aware-
ness. The presence of a large informal sector in India further
complicates this system, posing serious challenges in creation
of clean waste channels.
E-WASTE LEGISLATION
Countries are increasingly looking at e-waste from a
strategic critical resource perspective rather than a
waste disposal perspective. E-waste specific legislation is
therefore increasingly coming into force globally. Europe,
Switzerland, China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, several US states,
Costa Rica, Ghana, etc., have already defined the contours of
such legislation.
The Union Government has also notified the much-awaited
e-waste (Management and Handling) Rules in May 2011,
which came into effect from May 1, 2012. The e-waste rules
place main responsibility of e-waste management (collecting
and channelising e-waste) on the producers of electrical and
electronic equipment by introducing the concept of Extended
Producer Responsibility (EPR). EPR ensures that such e-
waste is channelised to a registered dismantler or recycler.
What this means is that Original Equipment Manufacturers
(OEMs), such as IT equipment manufacturers, are now respon-
sible for the proper recycling of their equipment even after it
has been sold. In future, we expect to see a number of such
OEMs running recycling initiatives to call back used equipment
and send them through proper channels to be recycled in an
environment-friendly manner. Therefore green compliance, in
a sense, is now a legal requirement for OEMs in India.
E-waste rules in India are limited to only a select product
group – mainly ICT equipment and a few others such as
refrigerators, washing machines and air conditioners.
However, internationally, e-waste encompasses product cate-
gories ranging from small household appliances such as toast-
ers to toys and even medical equipment.
SHORTCOMINGS IN LEGISLATION AND INDIAN
E-WASTING INDUSTRY
Unfortunately, there is not much progress on e-waste
management in the Indian context as most stakeholders
lack clarity on feasible and possible models which have poten-
tial of achieving success in a vast country like India. There are
many reasons why the E-waste Management and Handling
Rules are not being diligently followed in India.
[a] Lack of penalties in legislation: The legislation does not
lay down specific penalties for producers and recyclers
who violate terms mentioned under the new rules. This
can lead to producers and recyclers violating the rules
with no fear of persecution although regulatory authori-
ties could potentially take action against violators under
the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
[b] Lack of quantified targets: The rules do not mention any
quantifiable targets to be imposed on the companies for
ensuring the take-back of their products. They do not
mention the number of collection points or the number of
authorised recyclers required in cities. This lack of clarity
may result in manufacturers setting up a few symbolic
collection centres across the country, which might not be
able to deal with the volume of e-waste generated.
[c] Lack of standards for recyclers: Currently there are no
defined standards to benchmark recyclers in India.
Moreover, the provision for registration as collectors in
the legislation has given rise to a large number of players
setting shop as collectors, with no control on how the
equipment is further handled. This, coupled with the lack
of interest of companies in downstream audit, has negated
the impact of the legislation.
However, the biggest bottleneck is the psyche of the Indian
consumer, both companies and individuals, for whom the
main criteria still remains highest consideration in lieu of
their waste and not whether they are being handled in ethical
and environmentally-sound manner. We are yet to realise that
the harmful effect to the environment due to in-efficient han-
dling of electrical and electronic waste is many times more
than automotive pollution, for which there is far greater
awareness.
(The views expressed in the article are of the author only)
50 Times What’s Up?! ● September 2013
GURUSPEAK
CHALLENGES IN THE E-WASTE SECTOR:
HIGH risk backyard recycling operations impact vulnerable social
groups like women, children and labourers
INEFFICIENT recycling processes result in substantial losses of
material value and resources, specially scarce and critical
materials like Indium
Low level of awareness among manufacturers and consumers of
the hazards of incorrect e-waste disposal
Toxic materials enter the waste stream with no special
precautions to avoid the known adverse effects on the
environment and human health in informal e-waste management
Limited availability of data on quantity of e-waste generated and
recycled
THE existing few recyclers focus more on ICT related
e-waste, though the waste from consumer electrical equipments
(white goods) contribute to almost 83 per cent of the e-waste
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Amit Sardana,
MD, Dataserv
APAC Limited
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