subject: E-waste Management in India - Emerging policy environment [print this page] India is one of the earliest developing countries to come up with a draft e-waste management regulation. There are three key policies those are outlined in the framework:
In line with the principle of 'Extended Producer Responsibility' (EPR), the producer of electrical or electronic equipments shall be responsible for the e-waste generated from the 'end of life' of their products and ensure that such e-wastes are handled without any adverse effects to human health and the environment. It requires manufacturers to take back the products after their life is exhausted and devise discount schemes for consumers who return the products.
Aside from making producers responsible for the lifecycle of the product from cradle to grave, the law makes provision for reduction of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. (Chapter VI)
Most importantly, it imposes a ban on the import of all used electronic equipment for charity purposes. (Chapter V)
The draft also proposes to centralize e-waste management by describing the roles of dismantlers, refurbishers and recyclers by getting them registered.But the rules do not detail the business model for collection of e-waste from consumers though it has references to guidelines for the e-waste collection centers.
There has been complaints that the new draft rules on e-waste management framed by the Government ignores the unorganised sector where lands up more than 90 per cent of nearly 3,30,000 tonnes of e-waste generated in the country. More than 90 per cent of the nearly 4lakh tonnes e-waste generated in the country lands up in the unorganized market, a mait-gtz report estimated. The government assumes it will be able to regulate the informal e-waste sector through its proposed rules on e-waste, which allow only registered com-panies with updated and safe techno-logies to recycle e-waste. Clients of the formal recyclers incl-ude multinational companies that do not want their products to enter the grey market and compete with their new products. BPO and ITO companies want their machines processed by formal recyclers to keep up an environment-friendly image. Scrap dealers got to know of the rule only recently. Some scrap players rue that getting registered means having a large area and and technology. The challenge is that only those with big investments can get registered. While some have alleged that he regulations only allow registered big investment companies to recycle the e-waste, this is a great step towards bringing in formal structure for a nation well-know for its rag-pickers. One of the most significant player in the Indian e-waste recycling scene has alleged foul play and has suggested to file a defamation law suit against CSE which published this report.
