The afterlife of e-goods

The afterlife of e-goods

News:

Peetal Nagari (brass city) of Uttar Pradesh, the largest e-waste hub in the country raises serious concern over environmental degradation.

Important Facts:

• The Global E-Waste Monitor estimates that 44.7 million tonnes (mt) of e-waste was generated in 2016.
• India was the fourth-largest generator after China, the US and Japan in 2016.
• As Indians spend more on electronic items and appliances with rising incomes, e-waste is expected to continue to grow rapidly.
• While technology obsolescence creates e-waste (for example, landline phones, 2G vs 4G), power supply voltage surges which damage electronics are a major factor contributing to India’s e-waste.
• An additional problem could arise when developed countries export their e-waste for recycling and/or disposal (legally or illegally) to developing countries, including India.
• Peetal nagari (brass city) of Uttar Pradesh is now the largest e-waste hub in the country, as e-waste is brought there for recovery of metals such as copper and traces of silver and gold.

About E-Waste:

• E-waste is generated when electrical or electronic equipment (EEE) is discarded, or returned within warranty, by consumers, and also from manufacturing and repair rejects.
• Discarded laptops, desktops, cellphones and their batteries, air conditioners and television sets, cables and wires, tube lights and CFLs which contain mercury, are some examples of e-waste. These may be classified into 3 parts. Recycled, Non-recycled and Risky.

Toxic and Hazardous

• Most of the discarded products are set into open fire, which melts and releases harmful elements to the atmosphere. Carcinogens and neurotoxins when released into the air pollute and create smog which is very obnoxious.

Methods to Reduce the e-waste

According to the world, a survey claims only 20% of the wastes are recycled and the rest are dumped

• Smelting – Process of recycling base metals as well as other metals present in the electronic items are extracted and reused. Metals like copper, lead, silver, gold, iron, palladium etc are generally extracted in smelters.
• Electronic Recycling (E-Cycling): E-cycling is reusing, or the distribution for reuse, of pieces of electronic equipment and their components at the end of their life cycle. General recycling is a practice that is of great global importance for a huge number of reasons but the importance of Electronic Recycling (E-Cycling) may have them all beat

Government Initiatives:

Legislation:

• Prior to 2011, e-waste was covered under the Hazardous Waste Management (HWM) Rules.
• In 2011, under the Environmental Protection Act 1986, the E-waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011 were enacted
• In 2016, the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016 were enacted which replaced the 2011 Rules. The Rules were amended in 2018

E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016- Key features

• Applicability: The rules extend to Producer, consumer, collection centre, dismantler and recycler manufacturer, dealer, refurbisher and Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO). However, micro and small industries are exempted.
• Collection: The Rules adopt collection-based approach to include collection centre, collection point, take back system etc. for collection of e – waste by Producers under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
• Note: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is an environmental policy approach in which a producer’s responsibility for a product is extended to the post-consumer stage of a product’s life cycle.
• Deposit Refund Scheme: Deposit Refund Scheme has been introduced as an additional economic instrument wherein the producer charges an additional amount as a deposit at the time of sale of the electrical and electronic equipment and returns it to the consumer along with interest when the end – of – life electrical and electronic equipment is returned.
• Liability for damages: Liability for damages caused to the environment or third party due to improper management of e – waste including has been introduced. The Rules also provide for provision of financial penalty in case of violation of rules
• Role of State and Urban Local Bodies: State should ensure effective implementation of the rules. Urban Local Bodies have been assigned the duty to collect and channelized the e-wastes to authorized dismantler or recycler.

Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management & Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016

• The rules seek to ensure management, trans boundary movement, resource recovery and disposal of hazardous waste in environmentally sustainable manner. Under the rules Waste electrical and electronic assemblies scrap are prohibited for import.

Initiative to eliminate e-Waste:

• Awareness Program on Environmental Hazards of Electronic Waste The project initiated by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology aims to provide training, tools and films aimed at creating awareness and reducing the impact of e-waste on the environment and health.
• Creation of Management Structure for Hazardous Substances – The programme seeks to raise awareness among people about the 2016 Rules and its implementation.
• Swachh Digital Bharat – The programme seeks to create awareness among the public about the hazards of e-waste recycling by the unorganized sector, and to educate them about alternate methods of disposing of their e-waste
• Greene: It is a dedicated website which seeks to spread awareness about e-waste through social media

Best Practice:

• ‘Take-back’ and ‘Planet ke Rakwale’ campaign- Nokia: Nokia began its e-waste management campaign in 2009. Nokia set up drop boxes across the country to take back used phones, chargers and accessories, irrespective of the brand, at Nokia Care Centers
• Green Warriors -Telangana: “Green Warriors” in Telangana have been a part of the recycling / refurbishing chain, and has contributed towards the successful implementation of measures to control e-pollution.

Way Forward:

• There is a need to strengthen the domestic legal framework to address the issue of unregulated imports of e-waste
• Steps should be taken to formalize the informal sector by integrating it with the formal sector. Government should introduce vocational training programs to rightly skill the current unorganized sector employees to ensure their smoother transition to working with organized sector
• Governments must encourage research into the development of better environmentally-sustainable e-waste recycling techniques
• There is urgent need for a detailed assessment of the E-waste including quantification, characteristics, existing disposal practices, environmental impacts.
• There is need of more recycling facilities and development of infrastructure to handle e-waste effectively. The government should encourage Public-Private Partnership for establishment of e-waste collection, exchange and recycling centers.
• There is need of an effective take-back program providing incentives to producers.
• Mass awareness programmes should be initiated to encourage consumers to reuse/ recycle electronic products and also educate them about the environmental and health hazards of e-waste