Lok Sabha Question No. 2352 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-09
Subject: e-Waste
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: KULAMANI SAMAL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2352

TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.03.2018

## e-Waste

## 2352. DR. KULAMANI SAMAL:

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

- (a) whether increasing amount of e-waste has posed a bigger threat for the country from the view point of pollution;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the amount of e-waste that has been generated during last three years and the current year  and  the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  reduce  or  dismantle  it  in  order  to address the problems of pollution; and
- (d) the total capacity for recycling of e-waste along with the dumped/not recycled e-waste in the country at present?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

(a)  &  (b)  The  country's  economic  growth,  rise  in  per  capita  income,  and  technological innovations coupled with high obsolescence rate of electronic and electrical equipments has resulted in increase in the rate of generation of e-waste. The toxic constituents such as Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, Hexavalent Chromium, Polybrominated biphenyls and Polybrominated diphenyl ethers are used in the manufacturing of electronic devices. Disposal of e-waste from such  electronic  devices,  without  processing  it  in  an  environmentally  sound  manner,  may affect the human health and environment including soil and ground water.

(c) & (d) So far, comprehensive inventorization of e-waste generation in the country has not been done. However, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in 2005 estimated 1.47 lakh ton  of  e-waste  in  the  country,  and  simultaneously  had  projected  8.0  lakh  ton  of  e-waste generation  in  the  year  2010.  As  per  the  United  Nations  University  report,  'The  Global  EWaste Monitor 2017', 20 lakh ton of e-waste generation was reported in the country in 2016. For  safe  disposal  of  e-waste  there  are  178  dismantling/recycling  units  with  a  capacity  of 4,41,085.6  metric  tonnes  per  annum.  In  order  to  ensure  safe  disposal  of  e-waste  the Government has revised E-waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2011 comprehensively and  notified  E-Waste  (Management)  Rules  in  March,  2016.  The  provisions  of  these  Rules include extended producers 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  which  include  responsibility  of producers of electronic and electrical products for collection and channelizing of electronic waste. The Rules provide for simplified permission process for setting up of dismantling and recycling  facilities  through  single  authorization  based  on  Standard  Operating  Procedures (SoP) prescribed by CPCB. 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  establish  measures  for  safety  and  health  of workers engaged in dismantling and recycling facilities of e-waste.

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