Lok Sabha Question No. 1919 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-14
Subject: Import of E-waste
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Sisir Kumar Adhikari, Karti P. Chidambaram

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1919

TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.03.2022

## Import of E-waste

## 1919.  SHRI SISIR KUMAR ADHIKARI: SHRI KARTI P. CHIDAMBARAM:

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

- (a) the  amount  of  e-waste  generated  in  the  country  during  the  last  five  years,  State/yearwise;
- (b)   whether India imports e-waste from developed countries and if so, the details of the ewaste imported during the last five years, year-wise along with the names of the exporter countries;
- (c)   whether the  steps  the  Government  is  taking  any  steps  to  prevent  import  of  e-waste  in view  of  the  Report  2020  by  the  Central  Pollution  Control  Board  that  India  generated 1,014,961 tonnes of e-waste in the year 2019-2020 which went up by 32 per cent from financial year 2018-2019, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (d)   whether  the  Government  is  planning  to  monitor  and  revise  the  extended  producer responsibility  and  take  strict  measures  against  the  companies  who  are  violating  the standard rules and procedures; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a) Under the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016,  twenty-one  (21)  types  of  electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) have been notified. These notified EEE at the end of their life  becomes  E-Waste.  The  input  data  for  estimation  of  generation  of  e-waste  is  available only from Financial Year (FY) 2017 - 18 and for national level generation only. Information on national level e-waste generation for the financial year 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 is given in the table below:

|   S.No. | Financial Year   | Generation (Tonnes)   |
|---------|------------------|-----------------------|
|       1 | 2017-2018        | 7,08,445              |
|       2 | 2018-2019        | 7,71,215              |
|       3 | 2019-2020        | 10,14,961.2           |

(b) &  (c)      Theimport  and  export  of  hazardous  and  other  wastes  is  regulated  under  the Hazardous  and  Other  Wastes  (Management  and  Transboundary  Movement)  Rules,  2016 notified by the Ministry. Government had banned import of e-waste in the country by listing e-waste in the Schedule VI (Basel No. A1180) of the said rules.The increase in generation of e-waste is due to increase in the sales of EEE in the Country in previous years.

(d) &  (e)  The  management  of  e-waste  in  the  Country  is  regulated  under  the  E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016. Under the said Rules, the responsibility of disposal of e-waste in a  scientific  and  environmentally  sound  manner  has  been  assigned  to  Producers  of  notified Electrical & Electronic Equipment (EEE) as listed in Schedule - I of the said rules under the principle of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Under EPR regime producers of EEE, have given annual e-waste collection and recycling targets based on the generation from the previously sold EEE or based on sales of EEE as the case may be.

The  compliance  monitoring  is  done  through  Action  Plan  developed  by  Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for enforcement of E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016 in the  Country.  The  major  action  points  include  identification  of  Non-EPRAuthorization producers,  State/UT  wise  inventorization  of  e-waste,  verification  of  system  provided  by producers for e-waste channelization, verification of facilities of dismantlers/recyclers, drives for  checking  informal  activities,  formulation  of  State  Level  Committee  for  monitoring implementation of rules and mass awareness activities etc.Under the action plan, monitoring and  compliance  of  producers  are  ensured  through  Sate  Pollution  Control  Boards  and Pollution Control Committees. Further, under the existing rules, provisions are in place for action against the companies who are violating the said rules.

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