Govt collected 3,54,291.22 tonnes of e-waste in 2021

Under the E-waste (Management) Rules, 2016, Producers of notified electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) were given phase wise annual e-waste collection target. As per the information available with Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), 1,64,663 tonnes; 2,24,041 tonnes and 3,54,291.22 tonnes of e-waste was collected and processedduring the Financial Year (FY) 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 respectively.

The defaulting units/producers are liable to pay financial penalties under para 21(2) of E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016. To ensure compliance of targets, guidelines have been framed by CPCB.

No authentic estimate is available so far regarding the proportion of e-waste being handled by informal sector.

Under the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016, Department of Labour in the State or any other government agency authorised in this regard by the State Government has been assigned responsibility for ensuring safety and health of workers involved in dismantling and recycling of e-waste.

Under E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016, collection and processing of e-waste can be carried out only by Producers or their authorised associates/partners, authorised dismantlers, recyclers and authorised refurbishes. Following steps have been taken to curb informal collection and unscientific dismantling and recycling of e-waste:

• Under Extended Producer Responsibility Authorisation (EPRA), a producer is required to get its e-waste managed only through an authorized dismantler or recycler of e-waste.
• CPCB grants EPRA only to those producers who have set up a system of collection of e-waste through authorised entity as per the above said rules.
• An Action Plan for enforcement of E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016, across the country is in place since May, 2019. The action plan is to be implemented by all the States/UTs and SPCBs/PCCs are required to submit their quarterly progress reports to CPCB to review progress. In the said action plan, checking informal traders, dismantlers, recyclers of e-waste have been taken-up as one of the action points. Drives for identification of informal activities are to be done by all the SPCBs along with district administration of the State. An e-waste Management review portal has also been developed for uploading status & progress of e-waste action plan.
• Actions, such as, constitution of teams for carrying out drives, issuing of notices, closure of operation, seizing the E-Waste against the informal processing are being taken up by the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs)/Pollution Control Committees (PCCs). Seventeen SPCBs/ PCCs started the drive against informal recycling as per the aforesaid Action Plan during FY 2020-2021.
• Under the aforesaid rules, provisions have been made for recognition and registering of workers involved in dismantling and recycling of E-Waste. Under Rule 12(1) of the said rules, State Government has been entrusted with the responsibility to ensure earmarking or allocation of industrial space or shed for E-Waste dismantling and recycling in the existing and upcoming industrial park, estate and industrial clusters.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ashwini Kumar Choubey in a written reply in Rajya Sabha, today.

CT Bureau