Lok Sabha Question No. 2157 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-11-29
Subject: e-Waste
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: PREM SINGH CHANDUMAJRA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2157

TO BE ANSWERED ON 29.11.2016

## e-Waste

## 2157.   PROF. PREM SINGH CHANDUMAJRA:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) the  quantum  of  electronic  waste  being  generated  every  year  in  the  country  and  the steps taken by the Government to reduce the e-waste pollution;
- (b) the total capacity for recycling of e-waste along with the dumped/unrecycled e-waste in the country at present;
- (c) whether  the  Government  regulates  the  import  and  export  of  e-waste  under  the Hazardous  Wastes  (Management,  Handling  and  Transboundary  Movement)  Rules, 2008;
- (d) if so, the details thereof along with the quantum of import of e-waste along with the names of the country during the last three years and the current year; and
- (e) the  efforts  being  made  by  the  Government  to  raise  the  capacity  for  recycling  of  ewaste along with the success achieved in this regard?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  (INDEPENDENT  CHARGE)  FOR  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## (SHRI ANIL MADHAV DAVE)

- (a) No comprehensive state-wise Inventorization of e-waste generation in the country has been  done.  However,  Central  Pollution  Control  Board  (CPCB)  in  2005,  estimated 1.46 lakh ton of e-waste generation in the country which was expected to exceed 8 lakh ton by 2012. As per the United Nations University report, 'The Global E-Waste Monitor 2014', 17 lakh ton of e-waste generation was reported in the country in 2014.

The  Government  has  comprehensively  revised  e-waste  (Management  &  handling) Rules,  2011,  and  notified  E-Waste  (Management)  Rules  in  March,  2016  to  ensure better  management  of  e-waste  in  the  country.    The  provisions  of  this  Rule  include expanding producer's responsibility, setting up of producer responsibility organizations and e-waste exchange to facilitate collection and recycling,  assigning specific  responsibility  to  bulk  consumers  of  electronic  products  for  safe  disposal, providing  for  economic  incentives  for  collection  of  electronic  waste,  and  other measures  to  include  dedicated  responsibility  of  electronic  and  electrical  product producers  for  collection  and  channelizing  of  electronic  waste  and  simplification  in permission process for dismantling and recycling facilities through single authorization  based  on  Standard  Operating  Procedures  (SoP)  prescribed  by  Central

Pollution Control Board. State Governments have been entrusted with the responsibility for earmarking industrial space for e-waste dismantling and recycling facilities and to undertake industrial skill development; and put in place measures for safety and health of workers engaged in dismantling and recycling facilities.

- (b) There  are  total  151  registered  dismantler/recyclers  in  the  country.  The  combined capacity  of  these  151  dismantling  /recycling  units  located  in  13  states  is  446855 metric  ton  per  annum.  There  is  no  available  information  on  dumped/unrecycled  ewaste in the country.
- (c) & (d) Import  and  Export  of  e-waste  is  regulated  under  the  Hazardous  and  Other Waste (Management  and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016 which is notified  in supersession of 2008 Rules. Import of e-waste for disposal in the country is prohibited under these rules. Import of e-waste for recycling is regulated through prior approval of the Government.  However, no permission has been granted for any such import of ewaste during last five years.
- (e) e-Waste (Management) Rules in March, 2016 provide for multiple measures to facilitate setting  up  of  dismantling  /  recycling  facilities  for  e-waste.    These  include  simplified procedure of authorization which is now on the basis of Standard Operating Procedures (SoP) prescribed by Central Pollution Control Board, responsibility upon State Governments to earmark and allocate space / shed for e-waste dismantling and recycling facilities in the existing and upcoming industrial parks, estate and industrial clusters, to undertake  industrial  skill  development  and  putting  in  place  measures  for  safety  and health of the  workers engaged in e-waste dismantling and recycling facilities. Further, for  resource  recovery  through  recycling,  Ministry  is  coordinating  with  Department  of Electronic  and  Information  Technology,  which  has  already  undertaken  few  initiatives such as Research and Development programmes for recycling technology for extraction of precious metals, plastics and glass, up-scaling innovative technologies, demonstrations through pilot plants and technology transfer.

****