Lok Sabha Question No. 3684 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-24
Subject: Management of e-Waste
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Dr. Dharamvira Gandhi, Shri Benny Behanan, Shri Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, Shri Naveen Jindal, Shri Anto Antony, Dr. Kirsan Namdeo

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3684

TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.03.2025

## Management of e-Waste

## 3684.  SHRI GURMEET SINGH MEET HAYER:

DR. KIRSAN NAMDEO:

SHRI ANTO ANTONY:

SHRI NAVEEN JINDAL:

SHRI BENNY BEHANAN:

DR. DHARAMVIRA GANDHI:

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

- (a) the details of the current status of e-waste generation in the country, annually and the year-wise increase during the last three years;
- (b) the mechanisms in place for e-waste collection, segregation and recycling, along with the role of the informal sector;
- (c) the  policy  measures  taken  to  regulate  e-waste  disposal  and  promote  safe  recycling practices;
- (d) whether  the  Government  has  taken  any  initiatives  to  encourage  refurbishment  and reuse of electronic products to reduce e-waste, and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) the details of international collaborations for e-waste management;
- (f) the  number  of  authorized  e-waste  recycling  units  operational  at  present  and  their processing capacity; and
- (g) the steps taken to strengthen Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) compliance and increase consumer participation in e-waste disposal?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

(a) to (c) Ministry has comprehensively revised the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016 and notified the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 in November, 2022 and the same is in force since 1 st April, 2023. The objective of the said rules is to take all steps required to ensure that e-waste  is  managed  in  a  manner  which  protects  the  health  and  environment  against  any adverse effects  which may  result from  such e-waste.  These new  rules  intend  to  manage ewaste in an environmentally sound manner and 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 a portal developed by the Central Pollution Control  Board  (CPCB).  The  new  provisions  would  facilitate  and  channelize  the  informal sector to formal sector for doing business and ensure recycling of e-waste in the environmentally sound manner. Provisions for environmental compensation and verification and  audit  have  also  been  introduced.  These  rules  also  promote  Circular  Economy  through EPR regime and scientific recycling/disposal of the e-waste.

The e-waste generation in the country has been assessed by CPCB based on the sales data and average life of notified electrical and electronics equipment (EEE) under regulations. The assessment exercise has been done on the basis of the sales data provided by the  EPR  Authorized  Producers  of  21  EEEs  under  the  E-Waste  (Management)  Rules,  2016 and  registered  producers  of  106  EEEs  under  the  E-Waste  (Management)  Rules,  2022.  The volume of e-waste generated and year wise increase during the last 3 years is as below:

| Financial Year   | E-Waste Generation [Metric Ton (MT)]   | Year wise increase (MT)   |
|------------------|----------------------------------------|---------------------------|
| 16,01,155        | 2,54,659                               | 2021-22                   |
| 16,09,117        | 7,962                                  | 2022-23                   |
| 17,78,400        | 1,69,283                               | 2023-24                   |

As  per  the  provisions  of  Rule  13  of  the  E-Waste  (Management)  Rules,  2022,  all producers shall fulfil their EPR obligation and in doing so they may also take help of third party organisations such as producer responsibility organisations, collection centres, dealers etc. Further, the segregation and recycling is to be done through registered recyclers only. EWaste Recyclers are registered based on their capability to recycle the e-waste in scientific and  environmentally  sound  manner.  CPCB  has  also  developed  guidelines  for  e-waste recyclers  detailing  facilities  and  procedures  to  be  followed  for  scientific  disposal  of  the  ewaste.

(d) The refurbishment and reuse of EEE  has been incentivised in the  E-Waste (Management)  Rules,  2022.  As  per  the  provisions  of  Rule  14  (2)  of  the  said  rules,  EPR obligation  of  a  producer  shall  be  deferred  by  the  duration  as  laid  down  by  the  CPCB  on production of refurbishing certificates purchased  from  the registered refurbishers.  To incentivise  refurbishing,  only  75  per  cent  of  the  deferred  quantity  shall  be  added  to  the extended producer responsibility of the producer for recycling upon expiry of the extended life of the refurbished product.

(e) International best practices are being followed in policy formulation and implementation of e-waste management rules in the country.

(f) & (g)  As  per  the  CPCB,  currently  there  are  total  322  authorised  recyclers  of  e-waste having  processing  capacity  of  22,08,918  MT  in  the  country.  Further,  CPCB  has  taken following steps for effective management of e-waste rules:

- (i) An online E-Waste EPR portal has been developed by CPCB wherein entities such as producers, manufacturers, recyclers and refurbishers of the e-waste are required to be registered.
- (ii) CPCB  has  developed  guidelines  for  the  scientific  and  environmentally  sound management of e-waste. The guidelines detail the procedures and facilities in terms of machineries and pollution control devices required for the recycling of e-waste in environmentally sound manner.
- (iii)An action plan for implementation of E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 is in place and  the  same  is  being  implemented  by  all  the  State  Pollution  Control  Boards

(SPCBs)/Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) in their respective States/UTs. SPCBs/PCCs  are  submitting  quarterly  progress  report.  The  action  plan  makes  it incumbent  upon  SPCBs/PCCs  to  carry  out  regular  drives  for  checking  informal  ewaste activities and help them to formalise.

- (iv) The  rules  have  provided  verification  and  audit  by  the  Central  Pollution  Control Board or through a designated agency to verify compliance  of  these  rules  through random inspection  and periodic  audit,  as  deemed  appropriate,  so  as  to  take  action against violations of these rules.
- (v) The  registered  entities  submit  their  compliance  through  Quarterly  and  Annual Returns on the E-waste Portal.
- (vi) Environmental Compensation (EC) Guidelines under E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 have been developed for levying EC on any entity in case of violation of any of the provision of these rules and guidelines issued hereunder.

To  increase  the  consumer  participation  in  e-waste  management,  under  the  E-Waste (Management)  Rules,  2022, the registered producers and recyclers have been given responsibility to create awareness. Consumers are regularly made aware on proper ways of ewaste  management  and  are  educated  to  hand  over  the  e-waste  to  registered  producer, refurbisher  or  recyclers.  Producers  and  recyclers  have  been  creating  awareness  through media, publications, advertisements, posters and other means of communication.

*****