Lok Sabha Question No. 696 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-12
Subject: Management of e-Waste
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, P.P. Chaudhary, Vijay Baghel, Sangamlal Kadedin Gupta, Ramapati Ram Tripathi, Vivek Narayan Shejwalkar

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 696

TO BE ANSWERED ON 12.12.2022

## Management of e-Waste

## 696. SHRI BRIJBHUSHAN SHARAN SINGH:

SHRI P.P. CHAUDHARY:

SHRI VIJAY BAGHEL:

SHRI SANGAM LAL GUPTA:

DR. RAMAPATI RAM TRIPATHI:

SHRI VIVEK NARAYAN SHEJWALKAR:

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

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  made  any  assessment  to  identify  e-waste  generated every year in the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the details of e-waste produced during the last two years, State-wise;
- (c) the details of the agencies authorized for their collection;
- (d) the details of the types of side effects speculated on the basis of collection of e-waste, State-wise;
- (e) whether the Government has formulated any policy for e-waste management and if so, the details thereof; and
- (f) whether  the  Government  has  a  proposal  in  place  to  enforce  nation-wide  uniform charging wires for phones in order to reduce e-waste and 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)to(c) The Central  Pollution  Control  Board  (CPCB)  estimates  the  e-waste  generation  at national  level  based  on  the  countrywide  sales  data  provided  by  producers,  and average  life  of  notified  electrical  and  electronic  equipment  (EEE),  as  mandated under the E-waste Management Rules, 2016. The State-wise information on sales and e-waste generation is not available. Accordingly, the e-waste generation from twenty-one (21) types of notified EEE in the financial year 2019-20 and 2020-21 is estimated as 10,14,961.21 Tons and 13,46,496.31 Tons, respectively.

As  per  the  information  provided  by  State  Pollution  Control  Boards/  Pollution Control  Committees,  there  are  total  474  authorized  dismantling/recycling  units  in the country for collection and processing of e-waste having cumulative processing capacity of 14,42,561.22 Tons.

- (d) No study has been carried out to assess the side effects of collection of e-waste. The end of life EEE does not cause any harm to health and environment, in case, it is collected and stored safely in households/ stores. However, its unscientific handling and  processing  for  extraction  of  material  can  cause  health  risks  and  damage  to environment.
- (e) The  management  of  e-waste  in  the  Country  is  regulated  under  the  E-Waste (Management)  Rules,  2016  at  present.  The  Producers  of  notified  Electrical  & Electronic  Equipment  (EEE),  as  listed  in  Schedule  -  I,  have  the  responsibility  of disposal  of  e-waste  in  a  scientific  and  environmentally  sound  manner  under  the principle  of  Extended  Producer  Responsibility  (EPR).  Annual  e-waste  collection and  recycling  targets  have  been  provided  to  the  producers  of  EEE  under  EPR regime based on the based on sales of EEE or generation from the previously sold EEE, as the case may be.

Further,  Ministry  has  comprehensively  revised  the  previous  set  of  Rules  and notified the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 on November 02, 2022, which will become effective from 1st April, 2023. These new set of rules will put in place an improved  Extended  Producer  Responsibility  (EPR)  regime  for  e-waste  recycling wherein  all  the  manufacturer,  producer,  refurbisher  and  recycler  are  required  to register on portal developed by CPCB. The registered entities shall be required to provide details of manufacturing data, sales data, waste generation, agreements with service providers, RoHS  compliance, and waste refurbished/ recycled etc. Additionally,  no  entity  shall  be  alloweddealings  with  any  unregistered  entity  and carry out any business without registration. The new provisionswould facilitate and channelize the informal sector to formal sector for doing business and avail benefit of EPR regime.

- (f) There  is  no  proposal  at  present  with  the  Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  and Climate  Change  (MoEFCC)  to  enforce  nation-wide  uniform  charging  wires  for phones.

*****