Lok Sabha Question No. 1948 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-07-30
Subject: Disposal of e-waste
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Ravneet Singh, Rajendra Dhedya  Gavit, Sandhya Ray, Krishna Pal Singh Yadav

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1948

TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.07.2021

## Disposal of e-waste

1948.  SHRI RAVNEET SINGH BITTU: SHRI RAJENDRA DHEDYA GAVIT: SHRIMATI SANDHYA RAY: DR. KRISHNA PAL SINGH YADAV:

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

- (a) whether India has emerged one of the largest e-waste generator in the world, if so, the quantum of e-waste generated during the last five years indicating its rate of growth, State/UT-wise;
- (b) the details of schemes/guidelines being implemented for recycling/safe disposal of ewaste and compliance of the same;
- (c) the  quantum  of  recycled  e-waste  vis-a-vis  total  e-waste  generated  along  with  the incentives given and procedures adopted to promote its recycling;
- (d) the number of e-waste recyclers/dismantlers approved by the Government along with those installed/ likely to be installed in various States/UTs including Punjab;
- (e) whether  the  Government  has  conducted  any  study  regarding  the  damage  caused  to environment by e-waste and if so, the details and the outcome thereof; and
- (f) the action taken against institutions spreading e-waste along with the steps taken to reduce/manage e-waste, State/UT-wise?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) India  is  the  third  largest  e-waste  generator  in  the  world  after  China  and  the USA.Under the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016, twenty-one (21) types of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) has 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 2017-18 and for national level generation only. State Wise data on e-waste generation is not available . Information on national level e-waste generation is available financial year wise  for  the  financial  year  (FY)  2017-18,  2018-19  and  2019-20  along  with  percentage increase is given in the table below:
- (b) For  recycling  of  E-Waste  presently  there  is  no  scheme  being  implemented  by  the Government. The E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016 ensures recycling of E-Waste in an environmentally sound manner through authorized dismantlers/recyclers. Under the said EWaste  Rules,  stakeholders  such  as  Producers,  Dismantlers,  Recyclers,  Refurbishers  and Manufacturers are required to obtain Authorization. The authorized dismantler and recyclers are required to carry out dismantling & recycling of E-Waste in an environmentally sound manner as per the 'Implementation Guidelines' for E-Waste (Management) Rules, prepared by  CPCB.  Guidelines  provides  for  environmentally  sound  process  and  minimum  required facilities for dismantling and recycling of E-Waste. State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs)/Pollution  Control  Committees  (PCCs)  are  the  designated  authority  for  grant  of authorisation  to  the  dismantlers  and  recyclers  of  e-waste  and  grant  authorisation  after ensuring compliance of guidelines.
- (c) No  incentives  have  been  given  for  promoting  recycling.  The  quantity  of  E-Waste generated, collected and recycled in the country during the FY 2017-18, 2018-19 and 201920 is given below:

|   S. No. | Financial year   | Estimated Generation (Tonnes)   | %Increase   |
|----------|------------------|---------------------------------|-------------|
|        1 | 2017-2018        | 7,08,445                        | NA          |
|        2 | 2018-2019        | 7,71,215                        | 8.86%       |
|        3 | 2019-2020        | 10,14,961.2                     | 31.60%      |

| Year    | Estimated Generation (tonnes)   | Total Quantity of E-Waste Collected, Dismantled &Recycled (tonnes)   |
|---------|---------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2017-18 | 7,08,445.00                     | 69,414.0                                                             |
| 2018-19 | 7,71,215.00                     | 1,64,663.0                                                           |
| 2019-20 | 10,14,961.20                    | 2,24,041.0                                                           |

(d) Presently  400  dismantlers/recyclers  of  E-Waste  are  operating  in  20  States  namely Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil  Nadu,  Telangana,  Uttar  Pradesh,  Uttarakhand  and  West  Bengal.  These  authorised dismantlers/recyclers   have annual processing capacity of 10,68,542.72 tonnes. State wise details including that of the State of Punjab on number of dismantlers/recyclers are given at Annexure-I .

- (e) No study has been carried out by CPCB to assess the damage caused to environment by  e-waste.  However,  the  electrical  and  electronic  equipment  (EEE)  after  their  useful  life does not cause any harm to health and environment if it is stored safely in households/stores. If the end of life EEE (e-waste) is opened-up and unscientific methods are used for extraction of  precious  and  semi-precious  material  from  it,  then  it  causes  health  risks  and  damage  to environment.
- (f) Under the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016, institutions like Central Government or State Government Departments, public sector undertakings, banks, educational institutions,  multinational  organisations,  international  agencies,  partnership  and  public  or private companies and health care facilities having turnover of more than one crore or having more  than  twenty  employees  have  been  categorised  as  Bulk  Consumers.  The  Bulk Consumers have been given responsibilities of maintaining records of e-waste generation and have  to  file  annual  returns  to  the  concerned  SPCBs/PCCs.  No  Punitive  action  has  been provided for generation of E-Waste in the Rules. Following steps have been taken to manage and reduce E-Waste in the country:
1. E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016 were notified with following specific objectives:
-  Extended responsibility to producers to manage a system of e-waste collection, storage,  transportation  and  environmentally  sound  dismantling  and  recycling through EPR Authorization (EPRA).
-  E-Waste Collection  Targets  and  encouragement  for  establishing  an  efficient  EWaste collection mechanism
-  Environmentally  safe  &  sound  Recycling  through  authorized  dismantlers  and recyclers of E-Waste and minimizing illegal recycling / recovery operations
-  Reduction in Hazardous substances in Electrical and Electronic Components
2. Producers  of  EEE  have  to  obtain  EPR  Authorisation  and  have  to  collect  e-waste based on the collection target given to them by CPCB. The collection target is based on generation of e-waste and sells of EEE as the case may be.  Producers have to manage  collected  e-waste  in  an  Environmentally  Sound  Manner  through  their authorized entities only such as Recyclers/ Dismantlers/PROs as the case may be.
3. 1766 Producers have been granted EPR Authorization as on date.
4. 57 Producers Responsibility Organizations (PROs) have been granted  PRO Registration as on date.
5. 400 authorised dismantlers/recyclers of E-Waste are operating in 20 States.
6. An Action Plan  is  in  place  for  enforcement  of  the  E-Waste  (Management)  Rules, 2016 in the country, and is being implemented through SPCBs/PCCs. SPCBs/PCCs are submitting quarterly progress report as envisaged in the Action Plan through a web portal developed for this purpose.

*****

## State wise details on number of dismantlers/recyclers

| Sl. No.   | State            |   Number of authorized Dismantler/recycler | Total State-wise Annual Capacity (tonnes)   |
|-----------|------------------|--------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|
| 1.        | Andhra Pradesh   |                                         03 | 6600.0                                      |
| 2.        | Assam            |                                         01 | 120.0                                       |
| 3.        | Chhattisgarh     |                                         02 | 6600.0                                      |
| 4.        | Gujarat          |                                         19 | 50507.92                                    |
| 5.        | Goa              |                                         01 | 103.0                                       |
| 6.        | Haryana          |                                         39 | 133532.1                                    |
| 7.        | Himachal Pradesh |                                         02 | 1500.0                                      |
| 8.        | Jammu &Kashmir   |                                         03 | 705.0                                       |
| 9.        | Jharkhand        |                                         02 | 660.0                                       |
| 10.       | Karnataka        |                                         71 | 52722.0                                     |
| 11.       | Maharashtra      |                                         99 | 94750.5                                     |
| 12.       | Madhya Pradesh   |                                         02 | 9600.0                                      |
| 13.       | Orissa           |                                         05 | 5690.0                                      |
| 14.       | Punjab           |                                         04 | 7250.0                                      |
| 15.       | Rajasthan        |                                         26 | 90769.0                                     |
| 16.       | Tamil Nadu       |                                         32 | 132049.0                                    |
| 17.       | Telangana        |                                         12 | 70893.0                                     |
| 18.       | Uttar Pradesh    |                                         68 | 382570.2                                    |
| 19.       | Uttarakhand      |                                         05 | 19971.0                                     |
| 20.       | West Bengal      |                                         04 | 1950.0                                      |
| Total     | Total            |                                        400 | 10,68,542.72                                |