Electronic waste, or e-waste, refers to all items of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and its parts that have been discarded by its owner as waste without the intent of re-use.
Why is it a problem?
•Hazardous materials found in electronics –
–Examples: Arsenic, Beryllium, Cadmium, Nickel, Zinc, Antimony, Lead, Chromium, Etc..
–Can cause damage to brain, lungs, and other organs
–Lead especially toxic to developing children [Jackson]
Globally, only 8.9 Mt of e-waste are documented to be collected and recycled, which corresponds to 20% of all the e-waste generated.
Of those 44.7 Mt, approximately 1.7 Mt (4%) are thrown into the residual waste in higher-income countries, and are likely to be incinerated or land-filled.
Regulations in India
- Hazardous Waste (Management, Handling and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2008
- The E-Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011
- The E-Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2016
Stakeholders in E-Waste Rules
-Producer
-Consumer or bulk consumer
-Collection centre
-Dismantler
-Recycler
-MoEF/CPCB/SPCB
FORMAL RECYCLING
-COLLECTION OF E-WASTE
-SEGREGATION/SEPARATION OF COMPONENTS
-PHYSICAL BENEFICIATION
-RECOVERY OF VALUABLES FOLLOWING
-PYRO / HYDROMETALLURGICAL TECHNIQUES
•Hazardous materials not only found in electronic components
•Toxins are found in the plastics
–Brominated flame-retardants (BFR) added to plastics to reduce chance of fire
–Damage to sexual development and growth attributed to some BFRs [Jackson]
Hazardous Waste Rules, 2008
•Electronic Industry is part of Schedule I
•The hazardous constituents of the e-waste are covered under Schedule II
•Waste EEAs comprising of hazardous constituents are regulated for import purpose in Schedule III A
•Waste EEAs without hazardous constituents and EEAs for direct reuse are regulated for import purpose in Schedule III B
•Waste EEAs comprising of hazardous constituents are regulated for import purpose in Schedule III A
E-Waste Management and Handling Rules, 2011
- Come in to force from 1st May 2012
- The objective is to ensure environmentally sound management of E-waste generated from the end of life electrical and electronic equipments.
- Applicable to the e-waste generated from IT and telecommunication equipment and Consumer electrical and electronic equipments as specified in Schedule-I
E-Waste Management and Handling Rules, 2016
- The objective is to ensure environmentally sound management of E-waste generated from the end of life electrical and electronic equipments.
- Applicable to the e-waste generated from IT and telecommunication equipment and Consumer electrical and electronic equipments as specified in Schedule-I
- Recycling and responsibility of manufacturers extended
E-Waste Management Scenario
Generation more than 800000 MTA
Authorized Producer - 35
Authorized Collection Centres - 76
Dismantler/Recycler - 98
Dismantling/recycling capacity - 293748 MTA
